The Hidden Child
by LadyDeb1970
Summary: Seventh in the 'Birthright' series: An old villain returns to wreak havoc ... but there's also an old friend determined to protect those she loved in life.
1. Prologue: Everything They Ever Wanted

Author's Notes: And now, we've reached the seventh story in the _Birthright_ series. The previous stories were: _The Rising_, _Torn Asunder_, _The Sleeper Awakens_, _The Homecoming_, _Reap the Whirlwind_, and _To Whom Much is Given_. If you've not read those stories, I strongly recommend you do … it'll answer questions about the Tregarths, and when Owen came back. There are (not including this story) four stories remaining for _Birthright_. That will be followed by a new arc, tentatively titled _Redemption_. Coming up, we have _The Two Captains_, _Master of the Game_, _Dite's Favor_, and a final story to wrap up _Birthright_ and launch _Redemption_. In this chapter, our villains make their plans to come back … and a few missteps, as well.

The Hidden Child

Prologue

Everything They Ever Wanted

When they first tried to come through, the child Gwyneth was chosen because she wasn't particularly bright. Well, yes … she was clairvoyant, but that wasn't the whole reason. Nor was it her lack of education. Truthfully, she was somewhat simple-minded, even for a human being. Witness her chastising her employer for the re-animated corpses … as if _he_ could control a superior being! Simple minded and with very little in the way of what humans called 'common sense.' And yet, for all that, she still managed to stop them. Not defeat them, no … and she couldn't send them back. But she stopped them and held them in place … until a new doorway opened up for them. It was quite mortifying to be bested, much less by a human being.

To their kind, time didn't have the same meaning as it did for humans. Thus, what was a matter of months, or even years, in the human world … well, it wasn't like that for them. The hardest part of their new campaign in reaching their new outlet was getting past the Guardians of the Rift, but once more, a simple-minded human helped them. Evidently, she had a habit of making trouble, and not even her age-mate could keep her out of trouble all the time. Regardless, they were able to use her to bypass the Guardians … or rather, distract them.

By the time the Guardians realized they were through the Rift and beyond their power, it would be entirely too late. And just as they did in Cardiff 1869, they chose a youngster with more power than intelligence. She was touched by the Rift, they realized quickly, another child of the Rift. Because long before the Rift in Cardiff was closed, this vein was just waiting for the right person to open it. It was a source of great, untapped power … untouched and _so_ rich. Now the Rift was open, and let humanity beware.

The Gelfth were returning, and this time, they intended to reap their full harvest. Humanity could not stand against them. Torchwood could not stand against them. The bodies of Earth were their reward for their patience, for what the Time War and the Time Lords did to them. But, to ensure that they would receive that which was their due, they had a secret weapon, something that would effectively neutralize Torchwood.

They weren't the first to make that mistake. Nor would they be the last.

TBC


	2. Chapter 1: Context is Everything

Author's Notes: And here is the official first chapter of _The Hidden Child_. It'll take some time for the title to make sense, but I'll get there. I'm still mulling over what would happen if one of the Gelfth tried to get their airy paws on Jack, since he doesn't stay dead. I don't think I'll end up doing that … poor Jack suffers enough without throwing that into the mix. A quick note: camellias indicate excellence and steadfastness according to and I think 'steadfastness' sums up Esther very well. In this chapter, we have the aftermath of another argument between Natalie and Jack; while Toni Weber begins to realize something unpleasant is coming through the Rift. But a beautiful young Japanese woman with an English accent reassures her that she isn't alone.

Chapter One

Context is Everything

Tregarth Homestead, Oklahoma

Early April, 2012

"It really must suck to be you right now, mate … wouldn't want her mad at me."

Jack Harkness rolled his eyes as he headed into the en suite to strip and shower, Owen's words still ringing in his head. The worst part of it was, he was absolutely right. No sane person wanted Natalie Tregarth angry with him (or her, come to that), and worse yet, he couldn't put this down to anything other than engaging his mouth before his brain. He hadn't meant to hurt her, much less anger her, but he'd done both, and now he was trying to figure out the best way to put things to rights. If it was Esther whom he'd hurt, it would have been much easier. He learned that when he gave her a half-dozen pink camellias for taking care of him (admittedly, several months after the fact), that she loved flowers of any kind. She was especially thrilled that he avoided the obvious.

However, it wasn't Esther whom he upset, it was Natalie … and, by extension, Ailsa. Ailsa would be soothed once he had things with her mother worked out, and he had feeling that half-a-dozen flowers of any kind wouldn't work. Worse yet, he wasn't even sure why he'd said it. Natalie was quiet about what she believed, never treating him as anything less than a human being … albeit one who would live a very long time and had a hard time staying dead. He wasn't surprised that she was upset with him … what surprised him was that she didn't haul off and slap him. Maybe it shouldn't have … she didn't start hitting people until they put her child in danger, as a particular ex-teacher found out the hard way.

None of which helped him now. His main concern right now was how exactly he managed to make things right with a teammate, who was obviously avoiding him. On the plus side, they were finished for the day at the former safe house, which would soon be a home for veterans, and everyone was assembled back at the house. That would make it easier for him to physically approach Nat and apologize. That didn't mean it would be easy to smooth things over. But it was generally easier to apologize to someone if they couldn't avoid you.

The opening and closing of the shower door alerted him that he was no longer alone, and a pair of small hands gliding down his ribcage told him who joined him. Esther murmured, kissing the back of his neck, "She isn't even angry with you, Jack. Hurt, yes … but I think that the larger part of her right now is angry with herself. She's exhausted and frustrated … under normal circumstances, she wouldn't have reacted like that, no matter how little she appreciated your comment." Jack was on the verge of answering, but Esther's fingertip began circling his navel, stroking the unmarked skin where he was shot, months earlier. Oh. Oh. She always did that, always managed to find it, even without a scar.

Esther kissed his shoulder, whispering against his skin, "Give her time to calm down. I already heard her telling Ailsa to be nice to you. Just give her time to calm down and remember that your comments have nothing to do with your respect for her, or rather lack thereof. Her hands dropped considerably lower and … oh, she was getting _so_ good at this. She held onto him as he slowly regained control of his limbs, kissing along his shoulder blades and down his spine. And when he turned, lifting her into his arms, she welcomed him, fingers curling around the back of his neck, running her fingers through his wet hair. He had her pinned against the wall of the shower, her legs wrapped around his waist, and at least one thing felt right.

"Did I ever thank you for Liam?" he breathed against her neck, and felt her body tremble against his, a heady combination of desire and laughter. She moved a certain way against him, and his knees came terribly close to turning to jelly. He gasped, "_Oh_. Oh, I think we need to move this to a flat surface. The floor … the bed … _oh_." Jack wasn't entirely sure how they managed it, but a few minutes later, still dripping wet (he'd clean that up after a bit), they were on the bed. And Owen was nowhere to be found … Jack's mind stuttered to a stop when Esther's teeth found a nipple, a new trick she just learned and was thoroughly enjoying.

Once they were both capable of coherency, Esther sprawled across his body, she kissed the hollow of his throat, replying, "Did I ever tell you it wasn't necessary to thank me? 'Cause I'm pretty sure that I said that at least once … maybe even four or five times. Jack, I lo … I like you for whom you are. We aren't exclusive, I told you when this first started that I wasn't looking for exclusivity … and unfortunately for me, you're a tough act to follow. And from what I've heard, you didn't initiate that … he did." How did she know that? Esther added, sliding to curl against his side, "Nat may have mentioned a particularly nasty nightmare she had, hearing noises from your room, and something she really didn't want to see." Oh yes. Jack almost forgot about that particular incident on the first day they were at the Colasanto compound. Esther continued, her tone very serious, "Either way. I'm glad your second trip to Nevada began and ended far better than your first one did. I still crack up laughing when I think about what you did to that one Danes bodyguard. He beats you up, and you kiss him. That must have screwed with his mind something fierce."

"Don't forget the part where he was actually employed by Angelo to prevent the Families from getting a hold of me," Jack reminded her. Esther grumbled under her breath, something to the effect of '_that didn't prevent him from hurting you_.' Ianto was never happy about him dying, but Esther tended to take it personally when someone hurt him, even if he survived it. Her attitude toward those who wanted to do him harm didn't surprise Sophia … as she put it, '_Esther spent two months taking care of you and nursing you back to health. It stands to reason that someone who would undo all of that work would be someone she has little use for. She's already protective of you, simply because she cares for you. Things like that make her even more protective_.' Well … yes. And then, Esther was touching him once more … which was a lot more fun to think about and respond to.

TWTWTWTWTWTW

"You know, I really wish she'd either snog him or shag him … whatever will work!"

Sophia Tregarth bit back a smile at her middle daughter's declaration … even though she more or less agreed with Octavia. Like her two older daughters, Sophia came to realize that most of these blow-ups on the part of her youngest daughter resulted from her extremely intense, and ever-growing, attraction to one Captain Jack Harkness. While she wouldn't have been pleased with his comments about her church community, if she wasn't so attracted to him, she wouldn't have tore a strip out of his hide. It seemed like things were more or less settled between them, after their return from Nevada, and after Octavia and Adriane made their trip to Scotland, but during the last few weeks, even before Jack upset her, Natalie was jittery. She even admitted that she was jittery and restless, but didn't know why.

Priscilla snorted, drawing Sophia's attention back to the daughters present, "You do realize this is our baby sister you're talking about, don't you, Tavia? Natalie, who actively encouraged Esther to pursue Jack? It doesn't matter that Esther is genuinely okay with Jack being Jack, Natalie still feels as if she's betraying Esther with the way she feels about him. I just wish that she would confront him and get it over with. Then again, that's the way I raised her … calm down so you don't end up hurting someone." There was exasperation and resignation in her first-born's voice, but underneath it all was a very real concern.

The three women were working in the kitchen after the daily visit to help in the renovation of the new home for veterans. As expected, Jack was assisting with the work when he wasn't on Rift-runs … what they hadn't expected (but probably should have) was that Jack donated a significant amount of money to help with the renovation and hiring staff. Carlyon refused to tell the rest of the family, but it was enough to rock him back on his heels. Then again, in the lingo of the present, Sophia understood that Jack could be classified a multi-billionaire. That was even before the revelation that Angelo Colasanto left his stock and assets to the immortal.

Sophia still wasn't sure what happened, but evidently, Jack made a comment when Natalie returned home from church that morning with Ailsa … and all hell broke loose. Sophia knew Jack well enough to realize he was only teasing Natalie, but her youngest daughter was too furious to care … much less to allow Jack the chance to apologize or make amends. And, like Octavia realized, a significant part of Natalie's anger was the result of her attraction to their friend. However, there was more to it than that, and Sophia was worried for her child.

Priscilla said softly, "I may enlist Esther's help tomorrow if Natalie is still shutting Jack out … maybe if we lock them in the bunkhouse, that'll force Natalie to talk to Jack." Sophia gave her daughter a '_**no**__, you will do no such thing_' glower that, much to her surprise, worked even better now than when Priscilla was twelve and wanting to do something that was weapon grade stupidity. Hmm. She would have to think about employing that glower more often. But later. Much later. The blonde said a bit weakly, "Well, it was just a thought. I hate seeing Natalie in pain, and Jack hates being helpless."

"You are _not_ locking your sister anywhere, Priscilla Jeanne. You know better than that. Octavia Brigitte, stop laughing! Now, if Natalie is still shutting Jack in the morning, after she's had some sleep, then I'll talk to her. But there will be no more talk of locking her anywhere, even with Jack. Understood?" Sophia asked, looking from one daughter to the other. There was a part of her which was vaguely aware she was using what her younger granddaughter called her 'mommy' voice on Priscilla and Octavia, but that really didn't matter. She looked from one daughter to the other, making sure that her wishes would be respected.

"Of course, Mama. We just want to make things right between them, and Natalie won't talk to Jack," Octavia agreed, sounding more than a little plaintive. Sophia arched her eyebrows as her daughter, who admitted, sounding somewhat sheepish, "All right, so I had plans with Rex for this weekend, and he's threatening to cancel them if there's still dissension in the ranks. Oh, put a cork in it, Prissy!" Sophia rolled her eyes. Really? Octavia was over fifty, with two grown sons, and she was behaving like an eight year old?

Priscilla evidently agreed with her, saying, "You put a sock in it, Octavia! For crying out loud, how old are you, five? No, that's an insult to Ailsa! Now, I'm gonna put this in terms you'll understand. She's our sister, but I raised her. It isn't just the most recent row with Jack that bothers me, it's Natalie acting so out of character. This wasn't the first time Jack has said something like that, so why is she coming unglued the way she did? What's bothering her so much, aside from wanting a man she thinks she can't have, that she's trying to drive him away?"

Bingo. That was the money question, right there, and everything shifted for Sophia as she listened to her oldest daughter's worries. That was it, that was the root cause she was looking for. Sophia murmured, "That's it. No, she's not trying to push him away, but it's something similar. Things were settled when we got back from Nevada. She was even fine after you and Dree got back from Scotland, Octavia. But about six weeks after our return, that's when Natalie started getting jumpy and restless and even a bit irritable. She was like that when she woke up on our first day, and knew Jack was in danger. So where's the common link, aside from Jack?"

"Let me worry about that, Soph … once Natalie's calmed down enough to talk, I'll sort this out myself. I'm field team leader, that's part of my job," Jack said calmly, entering the kitchen with Esther at his side. He changed into his customary outfit and his hair was still wet from his shower. Sophia, however, shook her head. Yes, that was part of Jack's task as the team leader, but her job as Natalie's mother trumped that. Natalie lashing out at Jack was just a symptom of a larger problem, and she meant to find out what that larger problem was. She said as much to Jack, who replied, "And I wouldn't have it any other way. But you work on the situation in your way and I'll work on it in mine."

"Stubborn," Priscilla said in a stage-whisper to her younger sister, who nodded with a smug grin and added in an equally stagey-whisper, '_and sexy_.' Priscilla smirked at that, and Jack only grinned, looking a trifle smug himself. Sophia rolled her eyes, exchanging a look with Esther. The young blonde woman was only smiling at her lover, brown eyes warm with affection and something deeper. Sophia hoped the girl hadn't told Jack that she loved him, even though it was obviously true … she didn't think Esther was ready to say the words, and she was quite certain that Jack wasn't ready to hear them.

"And a pain in the ass … is there anything you need me to do, Sophia, aside from getting Ailsa washed up? I had a call on my cell from an old high school friend … haven't spoken to him for years, and I was hoping I could do that while Ailsa is taking her bath?" Natalie asked, breezing into the kitchen. She smiled at Esther, rolled her eyes at her two sisters, and … simply behaved as if Jack wasn't even there. There was no sniff and unpleasant look, she breezed past as if she didn't even see him there. Sophia noticed Jack's smile falter, and then a look of resignation appeared on his face. She also saw the strain in her daughter's eyes as she made a very gallant attempt at ignoring Jack. Not an easy thing to do, under any circumstances.

"We're fine … Quinn called you today? I thought I heard you say something about him, sweetheart!" Priscilla exclaimed. Natalie nodded, beaming, and Priscilla continued, "That's wonderful … I know you were worried about him, after not hearing from him for so long. No, we're fine, go call him and let him know everything that's been going on around here." Natalie offered her older sister another beaming smile, before bouncing out of the kitchen. Priscilla said, still smiling, "Quinn was probably Natalie's best friend in high school, ever since she stood up to some bullies to protect him, and then he returned the favor by beating the hell out of Ethan when he found out that sordid tale. They lost touch about eight or nine years ago, so he doesn't know about Ailsa. Knowing Quinn, he'll ask what took her so long to adopt. He always thought she'd make a fantastic mother."

"I remember that … the day they met, Natalie came home with a black eye, but Dad was so proud of her for standing up to bullies," Octavia reminisced with a small smile. She continued, obviously aware of Sophia's desire to hear anything about Natalie's childhood, "She was … oh Lord, I imagine she was no more than thirteen. No, she wasn't in high school yet … but that's how they met. They were picking on Quinn, giving him a hard time, and here comes this tiny thirteen year old demanding that they leave him alone. One of the bullies … there were three or four of them, I think … shoved her away. Natalie shoved him right back, and he backhanded her across the face. Quinn went absolutely bat-guano insane. No one ever bothered either of them after that, and Quinn became her protector. I'm glad he got in contact with her."

"Well, I'm very glad to hear that … I need to go to the bunkhouse and do some wash. Coming, Jack?" Esther observed. The required double-entendre was made and Esther rolled her eyes, grabbed one of his suspenders, and dragged him out of the kitchen. But Sophia knew her friend far better, and she knew that he was scrambling to come up with the best way to mend bridges with Natalie. The worst part of it was, she wasn't even sure what that way was.

TWTWTWTWTWTW

Something terrible was coming. Ever since that night, months earlier when Tegan and Annis disappeared, Toni Weber developed a … well, at the risk of sounding totally clichéd, she developed something of a sixth sense when danger was in the air. There was a night, about four or five months ago, when that instinct almost left her catatonic with sheer terror. She found out a short time later that something happened and a man was beaten nearly to death at a bar. Somehow, Nicky Halloran's dad was involved … for days after the incident, Nicky looked pinched and worried. He wouldn't talk about it, but she could tell he was worried.

She and Nicky grew closer over the last few months, and yes, if her mother pressed her, she would have admitted that she had something of a crush on him. That was the spin her mother would have put on it, at least. But the truth was, Toni was sure that she was falling in love with Nicky. Unfortunately, she was also aware that he was in love with Adriane Tregarth, even if she barely knew he existed. Her mother would have laughed and told her that she was too young to know what love was … but Toni knew how she felt about Nicky.

The girl also knew that something was coming, the same kind of something that was coming when that poor man was hurt so badly, the same kind of something that resulted in the disappearance of Tegan and Annis. The trouble was, she wasn't entirely sure about what she should do about it. Her first instinct was to call Nicky and let him know … but she was afraid of stirring up bad memories for him. Talking to her parents was not an option, especially if she brought up the incident involving Tegan and Annis.

Toni was fretting about this when an unfamiliar voice asked tentatively, "Jack? Owen? Is there someone there?" The teen froze … why was there a woman speaking in an English accent in her room? She turned in the direction of the voice, to find a very pretty woman looking around in shock. That was one shock … the next shock came when Toni realized the pretty lady was transparent. She kinda reminded Toni of Obi-Wan Kenobi in the first three _Star Wars_ movies. Or, in the second set of movies, when people communicated by way of the hologram-thingy. The lady looked directly at Toni, asking, "Hello?"

"Uhm … hi?" Toni asked a bit weakly, because really, what else could be said in this case? _Hi, how are you, are you a ghost, how did you die_? Uhm, no. Toni continued, forging ahead bravely, "I'm Toni … who are you? Do you need help getting to the other side?" She could have face-palmed. _Really, Toni? __**Really**__? Did you just ask a ghost if she needed help in getting to the other side_? That was even worse than the things Toni told herself _not_ to say.

The ghost lady looked amused, but to her credit, she didn't laugh aloud. Instead, she replied, "No, I believe I already _was_ on the other side, such as it is. Something drew me back. As to whom I'm looking for … first, I need to know where I am. I'm guessing that I'm not in the United Kingdom, much less in Cardiff." Toni blinked. Well, that stood to reason … the lady spoke with an English accent, so of course she would be from the UK. The ghost added helpfully, "Cardiff is in Wales."

"Oh, I know that. One of my neighbors used to live in Cardiff. In fact, his two older daughters were born there. You're in Oklahoma now, in the Southwestern part of the United States," Toni replied. The woman's eyes widened in shock, mouthing '_Oklahoma? I'm in Oklahoma_?' The teenager continued, finally remembering her manners, "By the way, my name is 'Antoinette Weber,' but everyone calls me 'Toni' for short. This is my bedroom. I would shake your hand, but I'm not sure what would happen to me if I did that."

"I'm not sure, either, so let's _not_ tempt fate. I don't want to run the risk of hurting you. My name is 'Toshiko,' it's a pleasure to meet you, Toni. I … the chances are against you answering 'yes,' but I'll ask it anyhow. Do you know a Captain Jack Harkness?" the woman said. Toni needed only a moment to run the name through her memory, and then nodded. Toshiko exclaimed, "You do?" Toni bobbed her head as she focused on the context. That was something that Miss Ava told her once … context was everything.

"Yeah, my friend Nicky … he's friends with Captain Harkness, I mean, he and his family are friends with him. I've never actually met him, but I do know of him. He lives with the Tregarths … they are kinda my neighbors, too. Hey, are you okay?" Toni asked as the woman actually looked like she was about to cry. Toshiko managed a wobbly smile, and Toni continued, feeling more than a little worried, "And do you know what's coming? You're a ghost, I'd figure that you would know better than I would what's coming. I always know when something bad is going to happen, but I don't know what that something bad is."

"I wish I knew. The Tregarths … what can you tell me about them, Toni? It could be very important. The last I knew, Jack was in Cardiff, along with Ianto and Gwen," Tosh requested. Toni thought for a minute about whether she actually should, but reminded herself that Tosh had no physical form. She bobbed her head in agreement, and Tosh continued, sounding more than relieved, "Thank you. Thank you so much. I don't know why I was called back, but I have a feeling it has to do with this '_something bad_' you mentioned."

"Okay. Uhm. Well, Captain Harkness works with the Tregarth family. They do something to protect the community … it's Captain Harkness, Mr. and Mrs. Tregarth, their daughters Priscilla, Octavia and Natalie, Rex Matheson-he used to be a CIA agent-and Esther Drummond. Oh, and there's a new member … I think his name is Owen? He's younger than Captain Harkness, and shorter, too. He's dark-haired and has kind of a thin face. And then there's … hey, are you all right?" Toni asked anxiously, seeing the way the woman seemed to sway. Was it possible for a ghost to faint? She didn't think so, since Toshiko didn't have a physical body, but she'd never met a ghost before. Maybe it _was _possible for a ghost to faint.

"Owen? Owen is here? How is that … _no_. No, I need to focus. Toni … hold up, how old are you? And can you leave the house after dark? Is it safe for you?" Toshiko asked. Toni made a face, because her parents were still unwilling to let her leave the house while the sun was down, unless she was with them. Toshiko added, "Never mind … I'll figure something else out. The most important thing is your safety."

"I'm fifteen. And does it matter if it's after dark or not?" Toni asked. Toshiko thought about that for a minute, and then shook her head with a small smile. Toni continued bravely, "Well, I can talk to Nicky at school tomorrow and see if he can't get a meeting set up." Toshiko's smile could have turned the night to day, and the youngster continued, "I'll do that, then. I know Nicky thinks an awful lot of Captain Harkness. I asked him why once, and he said that he saved Nicky's life … literally, that Nicky would have died if it weren't for Captain Harkness."

Toshiko's smile turned a bit sad as she murmured, "Jack has a habit of doing that … saving people. He saved me, and if I know him, it took him a long time to forgive himself for being unable to save me a second time. Toni, what year is it? I know that's a strange question to be asking, but …" Actually, Toni didn't find it a strange question at all. She wasn't sure how long it took someone to become a ghost after they died, but it totally made sense to her that Toshiko was asking what year it was.

"Sure, it's 2012! The beginning of April, actually … my dad is getting antsy with tax time coming up. He always gets antsy when tax time comes around, though. Oooh, are you all right?" she asked as, for the second time, Toshiko seemed to stagger. Her new friend actually seemed pale and Toni looked around for a place for Toshiko to sit down, and then remembered that she couldn't. Toshiko was mouthing something that Toni couldn't quite read, and the girl said without really thinking about it, "Pretend as if you're sitting down, Toshiko!" To her astonishment, not only did Toshiko take her advice … it actually worked, and the teenager breathed, "Whoa. No … way!"

"Four years. It's been four years. What else can you tell me, Toni? I know that you don't … I know that you've never met Captain Harkness, but what can you tell me about what you've heard? Is he all right?" Toshiko asked, looking a little calmer now that she was in a seated position. Whether that was the actual reason … well, anything was possible. Toni dumped herself into the chair at her computer desk and folded her legs up against her chest, resting her chin atop her knees. The girl smiled when Toshiko copied her own pose, because it made her unexpected companion look no older than Toni herself.

"Well, like I said, I've never met him. But Nicky talks about him ever so often … says that something terrible happened to him, so terrible that his life in Wales is over. I guess his best friend died, someone named 'Ianto,' and he lost someone else he loved," Toni replied. Toshiko closed her eyes, mouthing, 'not Ianto,' and Toni asked softly, "You knew Ianto, too? He was your friend, too?" Toshiko nodded sadly, and it appeared as though tears were slipping down her face. Once more, Toni wished she could touch the woman, could comfort her somehow. Instead, she whispered, "I'm so sorry."

"Thank you. He … I … what else can you tell me?" Toshiko asked, wiping at her face. Toni wondered a bit if she should say anything more. Her news obviously upset Toshiko, but the woman urged, "It's all right, Toni. We in T … we in our organization don't tend to live long lives. And that's something all of us know. It's like being a police officer or a soldier. The work we do is very dangerous, but I believe it's worth it in the end. No. No, I *know* it's worth in the end, because the Earth is still here. What else can you tell me about Jack? The Tregarths whom you mentioned, do they take good care of him?"

"The Tregarths and Esther … she used to be in the CIA, too. Nicky said that Captain Harkness was really sick during Miracle Day, and Esther took care of him then. Oh. Oh, you don't know about Miracle Day, do you? That was when nobody died … nobody at all," Toni explained. The woman's eyes widened, and Toni continued, "It ended up lasting about two and a half months. It was awful, Toshiko, just awful. Nicky never really talks about how Captain Harkness was involved, but I can tell he's angry. It's as if Captain Harkness could have died during Miracle Day, even though no one else was. Do you want to hear more?" This time, there was a furious glint in Toshiko's eyes, but Toni *knew* without question the anger wasn't directed at her. She nodded once, very quickly, and Toni began to explain what she knew … what little it was.

TWTWTWTWTWTW

Two and a half months where no one died. The first thing that occurred to Toshiko Sato was that someone made a mockery out of Jack's immortality. The second thing that occurred to her was a terrible thought, and she was ashamed of it. Next, she wondered how that was even possible … if it was possible, without all of the elements that turned him immortal in the first place. And then, finally, she thought about how this so-called immortality among the rest of the world must have affected Jack. The girl Toni's words rang through her mind, how Nicky behaved as if Jack could have died during Miracle Day. Was it possible that Jack was the only mortal man during Miracle Day? For obvious reasons, Jack was never inclined to let Owen do much when it came to his immortality, and Tosh shuddered to think about the experimentation that was done when people learned of that immortality.

Humanity, as a whole, was an incredibly curious species. Humans wanted to know how and why things worked, from car engines to their own bodies. That was why humans advanced … one reason at least … but there was a dark side to human curiosity. Jack was the subject of that darker side, as Tosh learned. She had only to think of his nightmares after he returned from his three months away. There were times when it was only she and Jack in the main part of the Hub, and Jack was tormented with nightmares. Tosh never spoke of those nightmares, of course. Jack was hurting enough as it was at the time, even if he seemed more at peace with himself. There were times when she braved climbing down into his bunker under his office to try to quiet his memories, and what she heard was enough to make her sick. Whatever happened to Jack … it was more than three months for him, and it was no pleasure cruise.

Tosh wasn't Ianto, but she knew Jack loved her … maybe as a daughter, maybe as a little sister, but he loved her. And so, when the nightmares became particularly bad, she would kneel beside him and stroke his temples and hair until he quieted. During those times, Tosh swore that so long as she drew breath, no one would hurt Jack again. Of course, she couldn't keep her oath, especially not after Tommy had to return to 1918. But she protected him however she could, and when Ianto told her about their proper date, lamenting at the end how Jack ruined his declaration that he came back for him by adding, 'all of you,' Tosh asked him tartly how he thought she would feel if Jack told her that he only came back for Ianto, as if Tosh didn't count. Ianto actually looked as if she slapped him. Tosh nodded once and walked away, still furious.

About twenty minutes later, Ianto came over with Tosh's favorite blend … with all the toppings. It was an apology, with the young man eyeing her nervously, an apology she accepted. She could understand why he would get upset that he wasn't the only reason Jack returned, but Tosh needed at least one other adult to talk to and Jack wasn't always available. Owen still acted as if she didn't exist half the time, and Gwen … well, Gwen was Gwen. And now, Gwen and Owen were the only ones left, aside from Jack. Tosh wasn't sure how that was possible, but the description Toni gave her fit the team doctor.

And she would worry about that later. Right now, her main concern was with the teenager who was providing her with this information, and her certainty that something bad was coming. Tosh was fairly certain that she was right … why else would she have been brought back? She remembered being shot, she remembered talking Owen through things on the other side, and of course, she remembered dying in Jack's arms. And, she had no way of knowing it, but her reaction when Toni told her about Miracle Day was almost the exact same as Owen's … cold rage. She had no idea who was behind this Miracle Day, but Tosh hoped with all of her being that the individuals responsible would spend eternity in agony. She didn't want to believe that she was a vindictive person, but given Toni's report of those awful ten weeks, she was willing to make an exception for these monsters.

Monster. How many times did she or the others apply that term to Jack? Every time he did something they didn't approve of, and each time, they'd been wrong. Oh, usually they attacked him for being a monster when emotions were running high and they regretted it, most of the time. But the true monsters were the ones behind this Miracle Day … assuming it wasn't an accident. Maybe someone doing an experiment, trying to save someone they loved, and things got out of hand? Tosh's instincts, however, said otherwise. Based on what Toni was saying, it seemed likely that it was very deliberate, and Tosh wondered what Jack did to put an end to it.

At last, Toni was finished with her story, and watching Tosh warily. The tech gave the teenager a gentle smile, trying to reassure her that everything was fine. Nothing was fine, but the girl seemed nervous. Maybe that was the problem … she seemed nervous, and not scared. Why wasn't she afraid? Tosh began to scrutinize the girl, wishing for her equipment … because there was something about young Toni, something she couldn't quite put her finger on. Tosh asked once the girl fell silent, "Toni … what happened to you? There's something recent that happened to you, isn't there?" The girl ducked her head, and Tosh added with infinite gentleness, "I'm not going to judge you, honey. But there's a reason I'm here, and there's a reason you're sensing that something's about to happen, and I think those reasons are related."

The girl took a deep breath, and then released it, staring at Tosh. At last, she said softly, "It was about seven months ago." Tosh listened as the girl told her about an initiation by two girls … Tosh was familiar with the type … and how those girls disappeared. Oh. She thought she could see where this was going. Toni added once she finished telling about that horrifying night, "Strange things have been happening ever since. Like, a few months ago, just after Thanksgiving, a teacher disappeared. She was a kindergarten teacher, who kidnapped one of her students in broad daylight. Ailsa is Mr. Tregarth's granddaughter, and there are rumors about why her teacher did it. The story I heard from Nicky was that the teacher was trying to force Natalie Tregarth, Ailsa's mom, to turn against Captain Harkness."

Tosh's blood ran cold … or would have, if she had a physical form. That ran terribly, painfully true. She had only to think of Abaddon and that devastating betrayal, as well as the three months that followed. Toni went on, unaware of Tosh's reaction, "Nicky said that Natalie wouldn't do it, and when they caught up with the teacher, beat her up. Oh, she waited until Ailsa was safe and with one of the others, but she did, she beat up that woman. Nicky didn't see it, but his mom and dad did, and said that she was like a demon. Captain Harkness was the only one who could stop her, and he had to pick her up to do it. Not everyone believes that, 'cause Natalie's real nice and real quiet. Mom doesn't believe it, but Dad does. He says if anyone's capable of opening up a giant-sized can of whoop-ass, it's Natalie, 'cause she is quiet."

Tosh reflected that Toni's father was probably an extremely wise man. However, she wasn't sure if she would have the chance to meet anyone, much less Toni's father, so she would reserve judgment on him and on the Tregarth family. But … if Toni was right, and if Natalie managed to figure out a way to save her daughter without turning against Jack … then the entire family would be formidable allies, to say nothing of one helluva team. Tosh hoped that Toni was right. She hoped so much for that. But there was something else that was troubling her, and it went back to Toni's account of the night that Tegan and Annis disappeared.

As Toni fell silent, Tosh said gently, "Toni, thank you for telling me all this. But I think I'm starting to figure out what happened. When I was alive, I helped to guard a gateway. I know it sounds like I'm making up stories, but I helped to guard a gateway between worlds. We called it a Rift, and it sounds to me like you have a Rift here. I think that's what happened to Annis and Tegan, I think a Rift was opened and they fell through. I don't know why it happened, or how it happened, but you mentioned that strange things started occurring around the time they disappeared." Toni stared at her in horror.

"You mean I did this?" the girl asked, horrified, and Tosh immediately shook her head. No, that wasn't possible. The Rift didn't work that way. They weren't entirely sure how the Rift worked and why it worked, but Tosh knew for a fact it was impossible for Toni to have opened the Rift. However, the youngster wasn't paying attention. Toni continued, rising to her feet to pace in front of Tosh, "But what if I opened it? I mean, I know these things, and I don't know how I know them, so what if I opened it?" Tosh again shook her head, wishing that she could take the girl's hands to calm her down. Not for the first time, she wondered why the girl's parents hadn't come to the room to investigate the voices they had to be hearing. Later. She would worry about that later.

"No, Antoinette," she said firmly, and the use of her full name got the girl's attention. Toni stopped pacing and stood in front of Tosh, who continued, "You didn't open the Rift. What may have happened … okay, you know how volcanoes release pressure within the Earth?" Toni nodded a bit anxiously and Tosh went on, "The Rift is something like that." She stopped and shook her head. That wasn't one of the theories that she and Jack came up with while she was at Torchwood, so why would she think of it now? It made no sense. And right now, it didn't matter. She told Toni, "You didn't open it. Something happened that night, but I don't think you caused it. So, what we need to do now is focus on what's coming through the Rift, to make sure it doesn't hurt the people we love."

Toni needed only a minute to think about that, and then her eyes steeled with determination. The spirit smiled at the girl, saying, "Good. Do you have a pad of paper and a pen?" Normally, she would have run tests with her tech and worked with her programs, but that wasn't open to her at the moment. She would use the options open to her and maybe if the gods were truly kind to her, she would have a chance to see Jack again … and see if the Owen whom Toni mentioned was her Owen, their Owen.

TBC


	3. Chapter 2: Unsettled Ground

Author's Notes: Well, I managed to get one chapter of _Much More Than Meets the Eye_ done. One was completed and one is half-done. So that's progress of some kind. In any event, in this chapter, Esther makes an offer; Suzie discovers yet another consequence of her actions; things come to a head between Jack and Natalie; things shake, rattle and roll; and Lucas gets a little more than he bargained for. Then again, he works for Jack … that comes with the territory. Tosh returns in the next chapter … along with Owen.

Chapter Two

Unsettled Ground

"You know, if you want to go out and spend time with the horses, I can watch Ailsa," Esther offered, poking her head into the bathroom as Natalie carefully combed her daughter's wet hair. Natalie raised her eyebrows questioningly, and Esther continued, "I left Jack in the new Hub … there was an anomaly earlier that drew Jason's attention, and he was coming up to find Jack when we went into the bunkhouse to wash clothes. That was exactly what we were doing, so get your mind out of the gutter, Natalie Sophia."

That earned her a small smile, as she replied, "And, this offer has nothing to do with me going off on Jack earlier?" Esther shook her head, quietly entering the bathroom. She sat down on the edge of the tub, reaching down to pick up one of Ailsa's socks and slipping it onto the little girl's foot. Since Ailsa was inclined to kick her shoes off regardless of where she was, Natalie insisted that she at least wear socks. Ailsa, perhaps mindful of her mother's mood, squirmed only a little bit, and Esther winked at the child, which made her smile and she held as still as she could as the blonde put on the other sock.

"No … not at all. I know that you need some time before dinner starts, and I know that spending time with the horses calms you down. Even if you don't get to ride, it soothes you. Visiting the firing range hasn't helped … it's gotten you even antsier, but the horses calm you down," Esther observed. She grinned a little, adding, "Even if your father's comments about having no horses any more confused the hell out of me." That was a point of serious confusion, because she got two different stories about whether the Tregarths had horses or not. That point of confusion was cleared up shortly after Adriane and Octavia returned from Scotland … not a moment too soon, either, as Rex nearly drove her crazy while Octavia was away. Esther lost count of the number of times he 'accidently' walked in on her and Jack. Of course, she threw something at him, while Jack teased him about joining in.

The Tregarths had two stables … the stone building, which was brought from Virginia, and a more modern building that was further out on the property. At the onset of Miracle Day, within the first week, Carlyon Tregarth realized there was something very wrong, and had the five horses which the family owned sent to a friend in Alberta where they could graze. It took more time to get the horses back, since one horse died and another was born, and there were some legal issues to work out. But they were back now, and Natalie spent as much time with those horses as she could arrange.

"And this isn't an elaborate set-up to get me to talk to Jack?" Natalie questioned as she eased Ailsa from her lap. Esther shook her head. No. No, she knew better than to attempt to manipulate Natalie that way. She tried to manipulate someone exactly once, and to make matters worse, she tried to use her nieces … that went so badly, she promised herself she would never do it again. No matter how good the cause seemed to be, she would not manipulate other people. As she learned from Jack, people often had very good reasons for the stands they took. It still haunted Esther, all of these months later, that maybe if she had just kept her mouth shut when Jack told her to let it go, he wouldn't have been shot. Jack swore to her that wasn't the case, that she wasn't responsible, but … every time she went over that in her head, that was the conclusion Esther reached. There was nothing she could do about it now … but she would damn well make sure that she never did that again.

"No. I wouldn't do that to you. I learned my lesson the hard way, I don't try to manipulate people. I'm not good at it, and I end up hurting people who don't deserve to be hurt. Even if it seems like a good cause, I'm done trying to manipulate people. But … but if Jack asks me where you are, I also won't lie to him. Not only am I absolutely lousy at lying, I won't do that to him. He deserves better than that from me, and so do you," Esther replied. Various emotions crossed Natalie's face, before she nodded her agreement. Ailsa crawled into Esther's lap as the former analyst said softly, "You _do_ need to talk to him, Natalie. For your sake, if not for his. But I know you'll do it when you're good and ready … not when I want you to, not when your parents want you to."

"Thanks. I don't like this. I don't like feeling this way, I don't like the way I reacted … but … I won't tolerate certain things, and he crossed a line with me. I have always treated him with respect … well, just about always, and the one time I didn't, I was trying to make sure he was okay," Natalie replied. Esther bit back a smile at her friend's neat avoidance of what was happening in the next room that worried her so much. And making sure that a friend was okay didn't qualify as disrespect, especially not with Jack being killed repeatedly only a few hours before. Natalie continued, driving away Esther's wish to smile, "I just don't think it's too much to ask that he reciprocates."

There. That was the driving force behind her friend's reactions. While Esther wouldn't say that the other woman was insecure, as such, things like reciprocity and quid pro quo were important to her. So was knowing that someone she cared for and respected felt the same about her. There was a similar flare-up back in October, not long before Sophia woke up … that very day, in fact, and it was over the same thing. Natalie believed that Jack didn't respect her.

"And he does respect you, Natalie … he respects and cares for you a lot. It's like Mr. Colasanto said to your father, to you, even. It isn't that he doesn't respect you, it's that he doesn't understand, he has no point of reference, and the points of reference he does have … well, they aren't usually positive," Esther told her friend. There were times when it was hard to know how to take Jack. Octavia's comment was that most of what he said was half in fun and full in earnest. Esther needed a moment to think about that, before accepting that yes, Octavia was quite right. When Jack talked, it was half in fun and full in earnest.

Natalie's face stilled as Esther spoke, and the blonde woman realized that Natalie was ready to shut her out. And so, she didn't go any further, choosing instead to say, "You'll work this out when you're ready. Just … don't think he doesn't care for you and doesn't respect you. That just isn't true, and I won't allow you to believe such a thing." With those words, Esther hefted Ailsa into her arms (good Lord, the child was growing like a weed), leaned down to kiss Natalie's forehead, and left the bathroom. She actually had some ideas about what she and Ailsa could do while the little girl's mother was sorting out her thoughts … and most of them involved that Barbie Styling Head she'd gotten for Christmas. Esther had one just like it when she was a little girl, and was looking forward to playing with Ailsa's new one.

TWTWTWTWTWTW

Colasanto Compound, Nevada

Same Day

"WHAT ARE YOU DOING TO ME?"

Rassilon, Lord President of Gallifrey, looked up as he tinkered in his son's caravan. It took all of his self-control to keep his lips from twitching as his companion exploded into the cramped area. Honestly, why the boy kept migrating toward these small areas, he'd never know. Actually, he did know, and Rassilon's smile died slowly. He knew exactly why his youngest child gravitated toward small areas, and he wasn't happy. Oh, no. He wasn't happy at all. Even so, he asked mildly, "What troubles you, Suzie?"

"You … _you_ did this to me! When you tied my life force to Natalie's, that wasn't all you did! You linked our minds together, our emotions! You did this, so you can undo it, too!" Suzie Costello shrieked at him. Rassilon thought briefly about reminding her that he was sitting right there, and there was absolutely nothing wrong with his hearing, but Suzie was too overwrought to care about that right now. Really, what did she _think_ happened when he tied her life force to Natalie Tregarth's? What, exactly, did she think that meant? Suzie ranted, "It's bad enough that I feel her emotions, see her dreams, but now I'm tainting her! She's doing and saying things that she doesn't do or say, because I'm tainting her!"

"Then you need to block it out," Rassilon replied calmly. She stared at him in shock, and Rassilon explained, "Yes, your life force is tied to hers. Yes, there is bleed-through on both sides. But you chose to use her dreams, you forged the bond … the responsibility to block your emotions from her, and her emotions from you, is yours to take. What sorts of dreams are you having?" Suzie responded with a glare that only made him smile. Really? That was supposed to impress him? No, actually, it was supposed to intimidate him. The trouble was, he wasn't easy to intimidate, something his young companion should understand by now.

"She dreams about Jack … about the day she almost betrayed him, finding him and Liam doing the horizontal mambo, about … oh, stop laughing! You wouldn't find it amusing if you saw what she wanted to do with your son!" Suzie snapped. Rassilon nearly swallowed his tongue, because there were just some things about your children (or parents) that you really _didn't_ want to know. Unfortunately, since he'd already walked in on his son with Liam Grady (sort of), he found that out the hard way.

Besides, there was something she said earlier that intrigued him. Rassilon asked, reclining in his chair, "You mentioned that she almost betrayed my son … when was this and what was the situation?" While his posture was relaxed, he'd never been more alert. This was something he didn't hear about while the Tregarths were here in Nevada … although he did know who attacked his son. For now, he was still playing the role of the gardener; otherwise, he would inflict severe pain on Liam Grady personally. Suzie was trying to talk him out of harming the Colasanto lawyer, but Rassilon was still thinking about that.

"It was a few months ago. Someone involved with an old enemy of Torchwood kidnapped Natalie's daughter Ailsa, with the intention of forcing Natalie to betray Jack in order to retrieve Ailsa. It didn't work … Natalie stumbled across a way to warn Jack what was happening, and he sent the information along to the rest of Torchwood America," Suzie explained. Rassilon stapled his fingers together thoughtfully. So. It turned out that the most important part of Suzie's narrative wasn't that Natalie had nightmares about a different way that situation could have ended. No, what interested him was the bit about the old enemy of Torchwood.

"Were you familiar with this former enemy while you worked with my son?" he asked and Suzie shook her head immediately. He had to give her credit. When he told her that Jack was his son, she paled and swallowed hard, but didn't hit the ground in a dead faint. The same couldn't be said of Olivia Colasanto, who actually did faint. He still cherished the look of pure shock in her eyes when he told her what his name was, and why she would never heal, why she would always be in such pain … shock and horror.

"No. No, that was after I went off the rails. But that does bring up a question for me," Suzie observed. Rassilon arched his brows at her questioningly, and the young woman asked, "You tied my life-force to that of Natalie's … you also tied Olivia Colasanto's life-force to that of Anwen Williams. Will there be a similar channel between her and the baby? I don't care about her, but I do worry about Anwen. She's just an infant, after all, and she doesn't deserve to be in pain. I despise her mother, but Anwen doesn't deserve my enmity."

"The bond is one-way in that case. When I tied Olivia's lifespan to Anwen, I ensured that Anwen would never experience Olivia's sensations. But Olivia will see things through Anwen's eyes. Your concern for the infant does you credit," Rassilon answered gently. He would be the first to admit how vindictive he could be. But, as Suzie said, Anwen didn't deserve to pay for things she didn't do. Suzie gave a small shrug, and Rassilon continued softly, "You're still afraid that you're still like your father."

"The thought had occurred to me. I … she's just a baby, Rassilon. She's so little and so … I can't bear the thought of someone hurting her, the way my father hurt me. All I could think of was some of that agony being channeled to Anwen, and she wouldn't understand why she was hurting," Suzie answered. She blinked back tears, before wiping at them angrily, and Rassilon turned in his chair to take her hands. Suzie whispered, "Do you know, I heard two of the maids talking about a girl they knew, a girl whose father hurt her the way mine hurt me? And do you know what that girl did? She made sure that things like that didn't happen to other little girls, and that's her revenge. I … I was so stupid, Rassilon!"

He said nothing, sensing that his young assistant had more that she needed to say. He was right. Suzie went on, "She got the better revenge, you know. Out of the two of us, she got the better revenge. I just killed my father. But her? She's keeping those monsters away from as many little girls as she can. She's preventing nightmares for some little girls, and ending nightmares for others. I just took revenge for myself." Rassilon rubbed her knuckles with his thumbs, wishing he had the words to calm her. But this was a part of the process, as they were saying now. She had to come to terms with what she did … everything she did. She was seeing now what other options were open to her. Suzie asked weakly, "I could have done that, too, couldn't I? I could have ended other little girls' nightmares and kept working for Torchwood?"

"You could have. Jack would have helped you, under the table, but he would have helped you. There's nothing you can do about that now. I can change certain things, but what your father did to you, and what you did while working on the Resurrection Gauntlet? Those aren't among them. What you do now is most important. You have received what very few ever get: a third chance. Do not squander it, Suzie Costello, because you will _not_ receive a fourth chance," Rassilon answered quietly.

"I don't plan on it. I have to ask, Lord Rassilon. When you brought me back … did you clear my mind? I look back at myself, and think of how I am now, and I'm not the same person. The anger is still there, but it's blunted somehow. The anger, the contempt … all of it still exists, but it's not as overwhelming as it was," Suzie observed. Rassilon motioned for her to sit down, which she did, her hands still cradled in his. He looked down at their joined hands, and wondered how exactly he found himself the father figure of this woman.

"I didn't clear your mind, as such. The time you spent in what you call the 'nothingness' helped to dissipate a great deal of your anger. I think you still need therapy … maybe even what's called 'anger management,' but now, you have a chance to become what passes for normal," Rassilon answered. Suzie grinned around her tears, and Rassilon continued, "That part of your life that was Torchwood is over. But you still have a chance to help and to protect others."

"Yes. And … and part of that is protecting Natalie from my thoughts and my fears and my anger. What … what do I need to build my shields? Because I don't want any of my darkness tainting her, and I would really rather not see what she'd like to do to Jack," Suzie requested. Rassilon shuddered. Yes, he could imagine. After the hours it took him to mentally scrub his mind free of what he saw with his son and Liam Grady. And it would be child's play to assist his new companion with her new shields.

TWTWTWTWTWTW

It was peaceful out here … the wind ruffling her hair, along with Iolaire, who tried to take a bite out of her hair for the third time running. Natalie laughed a little, stroking the mare's flank, and said, "Hey now, that's not food. It doesn't taste very good, and I should know … I've gotten in my mouth enough times. Now, this apple? This tastes good. Whoa! I said the apple, not my hand!" The mare whinnied at her, and Natalie could have sworn there was a touch of mischief in the sound. Really, it wouldn't surprise her if Iolaire was being playful.

Like most of the horses owned by Natalie's father, Iolaire was a rescue animal. When she came to the Tregarths five years earlier, she was dangerously underfed. Now, she was a magnificent animal whom Ailsa adored because she was so beautiful and because she came to the family at the same time as the little girl. Natalie's father called her 'Iolaire,' because she reminded him of an eagle streaking low across the ground, and 'Iolaire' was Scottish Gaelic for 'eagle.' She smiled to herself, remembering how she struggled with the pronunciation at first. It didn't help that she saw the name before she heard it pronounced and tried to pronounce it as '_eye-oh-lair_.' Her father gently corrected her, telling her that it was pronounced as '_yoo-luh-ruh_.'

It was in Iolaire's favorite grazing spot that the first bonds with her mother really began to take hold. It seemed that Sophia was quite the equestrienne during what she termed her first life … the first thirty-six years of her life, before she fell ill. Iolaire picked up on it, for she was even more affectionate toward Sophia than she was toward Natalie and Ailsa. For some odd reason, the mother and daughter found themselves discussing Gaelic names … maybe not so odd, it was right after Nat told her mother what the mare's name was. Natalie lamented her difficulty in pronouncing Gaelic names, and Sophia launched into a hilarious account of her own misadventures in pronouncing Welsh names during her early years in Cardiff. It was even mortifying to Sophia, since she was a diplomat's daughter.

In turn, Natalie told her about her own adventures with British English, including the times when her father deliberately allowed miscommunications with Jack, because of the difference in word usage. Her mother laughed aloud, light brown eyes merry. Natalie cursed herself, because remembering that day brought her right back to what she didn't want to think about: namely, Jack. Not just Jack, though, or the way she felt about him … but her very real terror that she was losing her mind.

It began almost as soon as they left Nevada. At first, Natalie thought she was suffering an early onset of tinnitus. It wasn't really a ringing in her ears, just a … a weird sensation. It was so hard for her to explain. Soon, that sensation grew to include her balance. She caught herself swaying a few times and taking a step and falling on her face. Her muscles also started to ache for no reason … it felt as though she was using those muscles more often (even though she really wasn't). By the time Jack started in this morning (saying nothing more than what he'd say in the past), Natalie could feel the last of her nerves fraying.

None of which excused her own behavior, naturally. There was no point in lashing out at Jack for being Jack: it made about as much sense as lashing out at Octavia for teasing her, or at Rex or Owen for their arguments, or at either of her nephews for leaving the toilet seat up (although, Lucas was trying harder, starting with when Sophia woke up). It was just stupid. It was made worse by the fact that Ailsa got upset with Jack for hurting her. She knew it was stupid, she knew it was pointless, and yet …

_And yet, and yet, and yet_. Natalie could acknowledge all of this within her own heart, while she was alone. But if she saw Jack, or if Esther gently brought it up, Natalie's defenses went up immediately. Underscoring that very fact, a quiet voice from behind her observed, "You know, I've been hearing for ages that you're a pretty decent horsewoman, but this is the first time I've even seen you with the horses. Usually, when you want to clear your head, we can find you on the shooting range." Jack. Natalie froze, nearly getting knocked over when her hand stilled on Iolaire's flank and the horse swung her head toward that side.

"I hate to think that I've become predictable after so short a time," she replied after a moment. There was a low laugh behind her, a laugh that threatened to turn her legs to water, and Natalie continued, "Her name is 'Iolaire,' and she's a rescue horse, like all of our horses. When she was adopted, I mentioned that she was terribly malnourished. And the people you maligned this morning were here for the next five days, bringing whatever they could to help. There was one lady, who only a week earlier gave me a baby blanket for Ailsa, and she gave me an armful of blankets to keep Iolaire warm, because her coat was in such terrible shape."

The oh-so-familiar scent (to say nothing of the shadow at her back) informed her that Jack stepped to her side, and she continued, "I get why you feel the way you do. I do understand. I'm sorry that it happened, and I'm sorry that you were hurt, but how would you feel if a woman who was treated badly by a British person decided that everyone from the UK behaved like that … and treated you accordingly. I don't ask that you share my beliefs, Jack. I have too much respect for you. All I'm asking for is the same courtesy. I didn't think it was asking so much."

"You aren't. I'm sorry. You know I get that way sometimes, that I don't take the same things as you seriously. But there was truly no disrespect meant, to you or to your community. I come from a time when organized religion is largely a thing of the past," Jack replied softly. He wasn't touching her yet, and Natalie was grateful for that. She knew that as soon he touched her, she would cave and collapse into his arms, begging his forgiveness. Somewhere, in the back of her mind, she was aware that she was thinking the exact opposite only moments earlier, and she wasn't sure what the hell just happened to her.

"I suppose that's part of why I feel sorry for you. You've only ever seen the dark side … you've never seen us when we're taking care of each other. I … **oh**!" Natalie gasped, her legs suddenly going weak. She hadn't even dropped to her knees when a pair of strong arms encircled her waist, holding her tightly against a warm chest. Slowly, oh so slowly, she was gently lowered to the ground and for the first time since their return from Nevada, that strange sensation was gone. It was just … there and not there. She gasped for breath, burying her face against Jack's shoulder and holding onto him tightly. He held her just as tightly.

Finally, he whispered, "Are you all right?" She nodded, not moving aside from that motion, and Jack continued, voice still very soft, "I'm gonna get us both up from this grass, because I think that horse of yours is trying to eat my hair." Natalie actually giggled at that, rasping out that, '_Iolaire likes to eat hair_.' She could feel as well as hear his laughter, and he observed, "I noticed. C'mon, up we go, pretty lady." Still clinging to Jack's waist with both arms, Natalie was able to get both legs under her as he helped her to her feet. Once they were both standing, he asked once again, "Are you all right?"

"Better now. Oh, God … Jack, I'm so sorry. I know how you feel about apologies, and you're right, but I'm _so _sorry! I can't believe I said those things to you, and I know … mmmph!" Natalie began to ramble, but she was cut off rather abruptly by Jack's hand covering her mouth. She hadn't even realized he released her partially … although, it may have been more accurate to say that she wasn't paying attention … and the gesture forced her to look up into his eyes. There was concern and compassion and amusement, and once Jack was satisfied she wouldn't start rambling again, he removed his hand.

"Apology accepted, if you accept mine. We were both at fault, we both hurt each other, so we both apologize, and we both fix it. Do you know what happened? The last time I saw someone acting like that, they were given a pendant that allowed them to hear what other people were thinking … and I'm pretty sure that hasn't happened to you," Jack observed. Natalie shook her head vehemently. And the idea of being able to hear what someone else was thinking just creeped her out. But at the same time, there was something … almost as if … She frowned, trying to pin down exactly what Jack's words reminded her of.

"It started right after we came home from Nevada. It started with this buzzing in my head, and I thought at first that it was tinnitus, but it got bigger … and weirder. I felt almost as if I was a stranger in my own body. And for some reason, that sensation got stronger when I was around you. It happened again, just now … right before you approached. And then, suddenly, it wasn't there anymore. It was like there was a light switch was flipped in my mind, and my body, my mind, was my own again. I could think clearly and half of the stress and anger and frustration I was feeling just went away. Yeah. Yeah, it was like I was one person in two bodies, or two people in one body, and I just didn't feel right. Do you think the Rift sent something through?" Natalie asked, leaning against Jack quite comfortably. With that strange sensation gone, it was also easier to box up her intense and ever-growing attraction to him in that little compartment in her mind. It wasn't something that Natalie understood, even when she was in her right mind, but that was just how things worked for her.

"I don't know, and that's the part that worries me. C'mon, let's finish feeding your ground eagle there, and then we'll head back to the house. I think it's getting pretty close to dinner, and if we don't rescue Esther, Ailsa might decide to start putting make-up on her," Jack said dryly. Natalie threw her head back and laughed, because her Aili would definitely do that if she got bored with her new toy. She and Jack looked at each other a bit ruefully … and then, the earth literally moved. As in, literally, as in an earthquake, and the tremors sent them both to the ground.

And, as luck would have it, she ended up lying under Jack. And once she realized this, it took everything she had not to reach down and feel him up. Jack breathed, his breath warm against her skin, "Okay, that was weird … Iolaire doesn't look especially happy, either. C'mon, let's get back to the house. I want to see if that was natural, or if it was caused by something coming through the Rift." Natalie's blood ran cold, but she accepted Jack's hand, calmed the clearly-nervous horse with several strokes of her hand, before running to catch up with Jack. There really never was another dull moment around here!

TWTWTWTWTWTW

Lucas Martinelli was having one of 'those' days. You know, those days when he wasn't entirely sure if he was coming or going, or if it even mattered? Yeah. One of those days. He started off the day with Gaetano, who was currently staying with the Havelocks. It was a win-win situation: Charles Havelock spoke Italian and was able to help the little boy with unfamiliar English words, and the family was aware of the Rift and what it could do. Upon returning to the house, Lucas walked into a mess.

Forget breakfast. The young man raced lightly up the stairs, away from the argument and the fall-out, because he just didn't want to deal with it. Owen was in the new Hub (could they please figure out something else to call that, because it wasn't a Hub, it wasn't a transportation center, it wasn't a center of any kind?), looking over the latest medical journals. Jason was still asleep, so Lucas went into their computer room. There were two computer rooms in the Tregarth household. The downstairs computer room, whether their mother and Esther worked, and the upstairs computer room, where the boys had the Rift monitoring programs set up.

It was here that he took refuge from the drama, making sure that everything was working the way it should. So, of course, when the 'earthquake' hit and the Rift equipment went off the charts, he was in the bathroom. Lucas swore under his breath in English, Italian, and any other language he could think of, finished up his business, and then darted back into the computer room. And if having the seat up annoyed his youngest aunt … hey, that was fine too. He was narrowing down the most likely causes when the door all but flew off its hinges and Jack asked a bit breathlessly (honestly, Lucas didn't think the man did breathless, unless it was between the sheets, and ew, he needed brain bleach), "What have you got?"

That wasn't the surprise. As Lucas raised his head to address his team leader, he discovered his aunt Natalie standing at Jack's side. Okay. Evidently, they worked out whatever bee got into Natalie's bonnet this time. Lucas chose not to comment on this, instead replying, "The equipment's going haywire, Jack … I've been trying to narrow down the exact location and an exact cause, but I can only give you a general region. I … oh, crap! It's the location where those two girls disappeared when the Rift first opened."

"Okay, what does that mean, exactly? I understand what you're saying, Lucas, but what does that mean in terms of what's coming through, if anything at all is coming through? Is this something big? How exactly does it work?" Natalie asked. Lucas stopped what he was doing and looked, really looked, at his aunt. She was staring at him with a thoughtful expression, and Lucas actually thought about what she just asked. _What does this mean? How is the size of the object coming through related to how the instruments reacted_?

"Generally speaking, we could tell whether something that came through was large or small. Sometimes it was the size of a mobile … other times, it was a space ship. This, though … Lucas, right before the equipment went insane, there was an earthquake, right? Did you check the USGS website, to see if any quakes were reported? Not by people who felt it, but by instruments?" Jack inquired. Lucas swore under his breath and Jack pointed out mildly, "There are ladies present." Natalie laughed outright.

"I'm his aunt, Jack, not a lady," she pointed with an impish twinkle in her eyes. Lucas looked up in time to see the two exchange a grin and shuddered. Okay, he really didn't know what happened between those two in the last few hours and he didn't want to know either. It was bad enough, seeing his aunt look at Jack the same way Esther did (or the same way Lucas' own mother looked at Rex Matheson) … but ew. He desperately needed some brain bleach. Natalie continued, growing serious, "That's an interesting idea, Jack, about the USGS."

"Well, in Cardiff, we had access to certain things that we don't have here in Oklahoma, because we're not in the city … so, we use what we have at hand. And one thing that I've learned about your family, is that the Tregarths are a very resourceful lot. Lucas, are you finding anything?" Jack asked and Lucas pulled up the website in question. A few taps of his keys had him whistling and Jack observed, "I'm gonna take that as a 'yes.' What are you seeing, Luc?" It wasn't the first time Jack shortened his name like that, but Lucas found that he liked it. Jack was the first person since his father who called him that, and he _really_ liked it.

"Okay, I'd need to look at the statistics, but generally speaking, the earthquakes we get in Oklahoma are around two or three magnitude, sometimes as much as four. That's not the size of the quake that just hit … that baby was a helluva lot bigger. Not sure what the exact magnitude is, but it was big. While I'm waiting for that, I've been triangulating the latitude and longitude provided with the measurements we have for the Rift, as of now … but it's looking as if it's the same general area. Jack, what are the chances that this quake will open up the Rift further?" Lucas asked. That was what worried him ever since he felt the quake … that and whether anyone was injured.

"Good question. Nat, you're field qualified now … care to accompany me to do some surveying? Or, do you think that Ailsa will need you here?" Jack asked, glancing at Natalie. His wrist-computer beeped and he added, "Belay that. C'mon, we have company downstairs. Lucas, let the system work, it'll let me know when you have something." It would? Oh. Yeah. It would. Lucas pushed his chair back a bit reluctantly, and Jack continued, "I have a feeling we're about to get answers to questions we didn't know we had … oh, and Natalie? Don't think I didn't notice what you _didn't_ do while we were out there."

Natalie turned fire-engine red, but smiled anyhow. Lucas shook his head as he followed his team leader and aunt from the room. He didn't want to know. He really didn't want to know. Maybe after this impromptu family meeting was over, and Jack had the answers he needed, Lucas would go down to the med bay and see if Owen needed anything. Lucas still had yet to update Owen on Gaetano's condition. Yeah. Yeah, that was a good idea. It would be nice to spend time with a normal person … assuming that Owen wasn't spending time with Adriane.

TBC


	4. Chapter 3: Pieces Falling into Place

Author's Notes: (blinks in astonishment at progress on story) Okay, I was _not_ expecting this. The story is writing itself. Please don't expect this rate to continue … especially not if I start working again soon. In any event, in this chapter, Owen finds an escape from the domestics; Jack and Natalie put some things to rest between them during their walk back to the house; while Tosh and Toni try to work out what's happening.

Chapter Three

Pieces Falling Into PLace

There were times when Owen Harper was _so_ relieved that he was still building his med-bay from the ground up … it prevented him from getting in the middle of domestics. That was the only drawback to living with the Tregarths … the domestics. Still, Owen knew it could have been worse. He could have returned when Sophia Tregarth awakened. That would have been much, much worse, given what he heard from Adriane Tregarth. It was bad enough, that he returned the day after Jack learned the whole truth about 1965. There were times when Owen wondered why his boss forgave so easily and so completely.

On the other hand, Owen himself benefited from that same forgiveness … besides, it really wasn't any of his business. That didn't stop him from taking refuge in the new Hub … or in the old cellar/basement/whatever you wanted to call it … whenever a Tregarth domestic threatened to spill over into Torchwood business. Sometimes it was Octavia and Priscilla bickering because of the former's relationship with Rex Matheson; sometimes, it was Matheson and Octavia arguing about her late husband (which Owen thought was idiotic … considering it was Jack who was actually in danger, thanks to Octavia's erstwhile brother-in-law, and Jack didn't let it upset him, Owen didn't see what Matheson's issue was). On occasion, it was Adriane and her two cousins. On very rare occasions, Natalie was the one causing a domestic … and usually, when she was at the center of it, things got really crazy.

That was the case this time, and fortunately, Owen was down in his med-bay for most of it. The previous week, a new shipment of medicines arrived and Owen promised himself that he would come down and sort it all out. Which he did … at six this morning, before anyone else was up. His med-bay wasn't like the one in the Hub. According to Carlyon Tregarth, it was a small hospital in and of itself, with four beds and one operating theater. Owen also had his own office, just off the operating theatre, where he put the file cabinets, computer and printer. Natalie made sure he had as many flash drives as he needed … she loved the damn things, for some reason.

What was once the temporary morgue was now empty … Tosh's body was moved to the cold storage building on the Colasanto compound shortly after Octavia and Adriane returned from Scotland. Owen and Jack personally supervised the entire process … from the moment Tosh's coffin was removed from the Hub until it was carried reverently into the cold storage building. Jack was unusually quiet through the entire time … on the plane which carried them back to Nevada, through the truck ride to the cold storage building, and even when they retreated to the manor itself to rest for the night.

Jack had another nightmare about being buried alive by his brother and Tosh dying in his arms, and as he did when his captain had a nightmare (or when he did), Owen crawled into bed and pulled Jack into his arms to wake him up. They held onto each other until they both fell back asleep, speaking of the beautiful woman they both loved and sharing memories of her. Owen had to remind himself multiple times that it was only her body which they were leaving behind, not Tosh herself, but it was hard. It was hard for them both.

When they returned to Oklahoma, it was to the news that Martha's baby was born … a baby Nightingale, as Jack said. They still hadn't named her (even in April), but were calling her 'Gale' until they came up with a good name for her. It was short for 'Nightingale,' of course, and Mickey groused about letting Jack name his daughter, no matter how temporarily. Martha e-mailed Jack with a picture of the tiny piece of humanity swathed in pink, and it seemed that eased some of the hurt. She added, a bit apologetically, that she suggested naming the baby 'Toshiko,' but Mickey had unpleasant memories of another girl named 'Toshiko' in his previous universe. Not the Toshiko Sato in the parallel world, but another girl of that name, and Mickey had no interest in honoring her in such a way. Jack understood, and so did Owen.

Ailsa, showing that streak of compassion that children sometimes did (one that went hand-in-hand with their occasional cruelty), declared that her Barbie would be named 'Tosh.' According to Natalie when she told them about it later, she didn't really understand why the name was important … just that 'Tosh' was their friend who died, and it made them sad. Ailsa didn't like it when they were sad, so she decided to do something that would make them happy … and naming her Barbie doll 'Tosh' would make them smile, if not actually happy. That was good enough for Ailsa.

Okay, so there were _some _good things about living with a family … Ailsa was at the top of the list, along with her constant companion Mij. The only times when Mij wasn't with Ailsa was when the little corgi decided to hide under Esther's bed … and that usually happened after Ailsa decided to braid her dog's fur or paint her nails. There were also the nights when he and the Martinelli boys went to the bar in town (not the one where he found Jack. Owen had no desire to ever go back there). That started after Jason and Lucas walked into the stables, which their mother chose as her love nest with Matheson … and the boys saw a helluva lot more than they ever wanted to see. Owen talked the boys into taking him to a good bar … alcohol was really good brain bleach. Oh, they knew that their mother and Matheson were together … but knowing that and seeing that in person? Uhm, no thanks. Owen thought (briefly) about using that to harass Matheson the next time the CIA agent decided to be an absolute pillock, but decided that Octavia didn't deserve to get caught in the crossfire.

Yeah, there were good things about living with a family, and those good things outweighed the awkwardness of the domestics he had to deal with on occasion. The boys still weren't done with the storage room, and so Owen remained in Jack's room. Most nights, Owen just slept on the floor beside Jack … unless one of them had a nightmare. And the last time they did anything more than sleep in each other's arms was a few months earlier. Little by little, Owen was building a relationship with Adriane, even though neither of them would call them that.

Adriane was wary of relationships, given the issues her mother had and Owen … well, he would never admit it to anyone but Jack, but Owen almost wanted Tosh's blessing. He said so while still trembling from a terrifying dream about one of his more dangerous foes in the alternate world. He felt Jack's lips against the top of his head, the captain's fingers stroking down his spine, before admitting that he knew better than Owen thought what he meant. Somehow, that didn't surprise Owen as much as maybe it should have. He didn't say anything, though … just chose to hold Jack tightly, curling against him as if seeking an older brother's protection, or maybe seeking to protect a wounded brother.

The sound of feet on the rungs of the ladder distracted Owen from his thoughts, and he rose from his computer to peek into the main part of the Hub. A somewhat disgruntled Lucas dropped the last foot or so, muttering under his breath about his youngest aunt and her crazy-ass moods. His expression lightened only a little when he saw Owen, telling the slightly older man, "Nicky Halloran is upstairs in the main house … says he has some information. Jack and Grandfather want everyone in the downstairs computer room, post haste." Owen nodded and followed his young assistant back up the ladder, away from his thoughts and memories.

TWTWTWTWTWTWTW

During the walk back to the house, Natalie still leaning against him for support, Jack was thinking about the most recent flare-up and he realized something: they never settled the first flare-up, in those days surrounding Sophia's return to the land of the living. He said as much to her, adding gently when she stiffened, "We both had a lot to deal with during those weeks. But it seems to me that we have unfinished business, and now is as good a time as any to conclude that business. I don't want this to continue haunting us both, Natalie, and you know that as well as I do. I don't mind you standing up to me … in fact, it's kind of fun and kind of hot when you tell me that I'm wrong about something, and then you prove it. But … this idea that keeps circulating in your brain that I don't respect you … I can't figure out where you got that."

Natalie's grip on his arm intensified, but she thought about it for several moments before saying, "I wish I knew where it came from this time. The last time, just before Sophia woke up, it was because it seemed you thought that I was homophobic, and that angered me." Jack nodded. That wasn't what he was thinking at all, but looking at it from her perspective, he saw why she would come to that (faulty) conclusion.

"In case you need me to say it, I don't think that at all. I was only teasing you because a number of women I've encountered seem to enjoy watching men kiss," Jack told her. Natalie blushed and ducked her head. He hugged her against his side, saying, "We've got that cleared up, then. Next item. Why _did_ you leave when I kissed Ianto … when he kissed me … when we kissed? You know now that I don't think you're homophobic, so why did you leave?" Natalie's face turned even redder, and she shook her head. Jack said seriously, trying not to think of a blast door separating him from someone he loved and that person not taking 'no' for an answer, "Natalie … why did you leave?"

"Because I'm not comfortable watching anyone kiss … whether it's a man and a woman, two men, or two women. I'm just not comfortable with it," Natalie finally replied. Uhm …. Right. He looked down at her with a small smile that demonstrated his disbelief. Oh, he didn't doubt that was part of the reason, but that wasn't the only reason, and he knew that. He knew she was an incredibly private person when it came to personal displays of affection … and that only got worse after she walked in on him and Liam. But there was far more to it than that, and he wouldn't let her run from this anymore. He said on more than one occasion that this wasn't Cardiff … maybe it was time he stopped trying to do the things he'd done in Cardiff, as well.

"Oh, I know you don't enjoy watching people kiss, Natalie. But you've forgotten one thing," Jack pointed out. She raised her eyebrows and he told her, "Usually, if you don't want to see something, you turn your head. You don't leave the room, you don't leave the area. But on that day, you left the area. You could have gently turned Ailsa's head away, if that was the issue. But you didn't. So I ask again. Why did you leave when we kissed?" She glowered at him, but Jack was unmoved. He saw far worse expressions from far scarier people. He said gently, "Natalie, there are very few things that you can say that would shock me. I've been alive a very long time, I've seen things that you would never believe. You can't shock me. And the only way you can truly hurt me is by either hurting someone I love … which you wouldn't do … or by shutting me out, which is what you've been doing."

Natalie actually blanched, nearly reeling away from him. Jack stopped, placed both hands on her shoulders, and stared down into her dark eyes, whispering, "Tell me, Nat. Because pushing things into a little box in the back of your head isn't helping … it's hurting. It's hurting you, and while I don't care about you lashing out at me-I'm used to it-I won't let you hurt yourself. Tell me, Nat. Tell me. Tell me. Tell me." Each '_tell me_' was punctuated with a kiss to her cheek or hairline or forehead. Natalie shook her head, eyes filling with tears, and Jack moved his hands from her shoulders to her face, saying again, "Tell me, Nat. I promise, I won't be angry with you, sweetheart. But I won't let you use me to hurt yourself, either. Tell me."

Her lips moved, but no sound emerged, and Jack stroked his thumbs over her cheekbones lightly. Natalie whispered, "Because I wanted it to be me, and oh God, it hurts so much because it never can be. I wanted it to me that you were kissing, and I don't deserve you, and Esther doesn't deserve me betraying her like that. I wanted it to be me, so much, and that hasn't gone away. I don't understand, Jack … always before, it went away when I pushed it away long enough, but it hasn't gone away." She sounded lost and broken, and Jack's heart broke just a little for her.

And now that the floodgates were open, the words tumbling from her lips in a flood, "Most of the time, I can put it away in a little box, so I can function. The worst part is the anger … most of the time, I know that I'm truly angry with myself. But sometimes …" She trailed off, her eyes drifting away from his face, and Jack understood. He may not have understood her starting place, but he did understand rage directed at one's self and self-loathing. He had a lot of experience with the latter. He drew the trembling brunette into his arms, and tried to find the words that would help her. Natalie nestled in his arms, murmuring, "I could stay here forever. I feel so safe with you, and that scares me so badly. But it's true. When you hold me, it feels as if nothing can touch me."

"Unfortunately, that isn't true," Jack murmured into her hair, and was rewarded with a small giggle. He kissed the top of her head, whispering, "I don't know what to tell you, Natalie. Only this: there was a time when I could have ended the world with my stupidity. It doesn't matter what I did … that's not the important thing. The important thing is what I did after. I atoned as best as I could, and tried to live up to the faith that the man who saved me, and the world, placed in me. You say that you don't deserve me … but you don't deserve the self-loathing I hear in your voice, either. So, you have to figure out how you're going to deal with that. I can't tell you how to do what you need to do. I just want you to understand … you don't deserve to be in such pain. You don't deserve to drive away someone dear to you. And Ailsa doesn't deserve what will happen if you hollow yourself out that way. Your daughter deserves more than that. I may not have a lot of credibility as a parent, but I can say that, without hesitation."

Her lips worked for a moment, before she whispered, "I'm sorry. I know I already said that, but I'm sorry for being a brat, and for jumping to the wrong conclusions. All my life, I've tried so hard to take care of the people around me, but it seems as if I keep hurting you." Jack tightened his arms around her, and felt her arms slip around his waist in turn. He didn't like hearing 'sorry,' because it seemed that was an automatic '_get out of jail_' card. Say you're sorry, and everything is fine.

"I know you are," he answered at last, "so my question is, you've said that you're sorry, and I know you are, but what are you going to do next?" Natalie went still in his arms, and Jack made no more comments, allowing the words to ping around in her brain for several moments. She was the only one who could answer that question, and he needed her to think about what her next step was. Jack didn't fool himself into thinking that this would be the end of it … but maybe now, things could start moving, rather than being stalled.

"I gotta apologize to the rest of the family. I didn't mean to, but I ended up dragging them all into this. Especially Ailsa," she said at last, something that surprised Jack. However, he couldn't argue with her reasoning. She sighed after a moment, "And I need to tell them what's been going on inside of my head for the last few weeks. It's so strange, Jack … at the time it happened, I knew exactly why I reacted as I did, but with a clear head, I can't imagine what I was thinking. Aside from the possibility that I wasn't thinking at all. I know you were only teasing me, so I can't figure out what was going on inside my head. Do you think something came through the Rift? I don't remember anything that might …" She shook her head, frowning in obvious confusion.

"I don't know, either, Natalie. But the next time you start feeling like that, as if you aren't fully in control, you need to let us know that. I know, you don't know why things were such a mess upstairs, but if something like that happens again, even if you don't understand why, say so. I'm not trying to scare you, but something could have come through the Rift that impaired your reasoning capacity, and that has the potential to put all of us in danger," Jack replied. She blanched, but this time it was in horror, rather than shock. He kissed the top of her head, murmuring, "We were lucky this time; however, just to be safe, I want Owen to scan you when we get back to the house. It doesn't have to be right away, but I want him to make sure there's no alien influence. I don't think so, because it would have affected your dealings with the rest of the family. Still, it's not worth taking that chance. Okay?"

"Understood. And I promise, this is the last time I'll say it: I'm _so_ sorry, Jack. No matter how much your comments may have hurt me in that moment, I didn't have to be a brat about it. I chose to react the way I did, and I am beyond sorry for that," Natalie said. Strangely, her apology didn't irritate him. Or maybe it wasn't so strange, when he stopped and thought about it. She wasn't expecting her apology to make everything right. He drew her against his chest once more, and was heartened to discover that her hesitation was easing. If he knew Natalie, she would continue to struggle with her attraction to him … and with the concept that she was 'betraying' her friend.

"Apology accepted. I'll forgive you, if you'll forgive me. Deal?" Jack asked softly. There was a soft laugh, as she whispered back, '_deal_.' He held onto her for another minute, before releasing her to start walking again. But he kept his arm around her shoulders. There would be more fallout, he knew, especially once Carlyon realized that she'd been feeling not herself for several weeks, but things were on the right track. He had the sense that whatever caused this earthquake would end up being far more dangerous than anyone realized, and the last thing they needed was a distraction like this had the potential for being.

TWTWTWTWTWTWTW

It took them a little time, but eventually, Toni and Tosh put together what they knew. It shouldn't have taken so much time, since they really didn't _know_ much, but Tosh was dead for four years, and there was a lot she missed. It wasn't just the so-called Miracle Day (and the more she heard about that, the more she hoped for their sake that she never caught up with the perpetrators of _that_ atrocity): there was also the matter of the children, nearly three years earlier. Toni really didn't know much about it, since she wasn't among the children affected, but what she did tell Tosh was blood-chilling, especially with regards to that so-called vaccination. Yeah. Right. Vaccination … was that what they were calling it now? There was no doubt in the tech wizard's mind that Jack put a stop to it, just as he ended Miracle Day. The only question was how, and Tosh wasn't sure if she wanted to know. She remembered what Jack was willing to do to save the world.

There was also when Earth was literally moved out of its orbit. It felt like a terrible earthquake. Toni described seeing metal things that looked like oversized pepper shakers, and Tosh's blood ran cold (or would have, if she had a physical body). It sounded like she was describing Daleks. Those things were a nightmare, just from the stories she heard from Ianto when he could finally talk about Canary Wharf. And while she never said so, she saw Jack's expression when he realized what descended upon Torchwood One. For just a moment, little more than a split second, Tosh saw utter terror in Jack's eyes, before the mask descended once more. She wondered now if it was the Daleks that caused Jack's first death. It was the only reason she could think of for such terror.

There were other incursions, but Toni really didn't know much about them, and after the third or fourth time she said so, Tosh stopped interrupting the girl for clarification if she said initially that she only heard rumors. Right now, Tosh's primary focus was in facts, and rumors could be used to fill in the cracks later. And so, she listened and directed Toni to write things down when she was sure it was a fact. Unfortunately, she still had no idea why this was happening or what was coming. The only things Tosh was truly convinced of were that Toni believed something terrible was coming and that the girl was right.

Originally, Toni promised to speak with the Tregarths' young friend Nicky Halloran when she got home from school the following day, but as they compared notes, Toni began to change her mind. Finally, after a very uncharacteristic earthquake rattled the house (and Toni), the girl turned on her mobile and called Nicky directly. He was, Tosh learned, eighteen years old and Tosh had enough experience to realize that Toni wanted to be more than friends with him. She held her tongue, knowing from painful experience that how you felt and how you should feel were often two different things. Besides, while it was true that Toni was too young for Nicky now, anything was possible as both youngsters grew up.

Tosh carefully did not listen in on the conversation, the memory of Mary's pendant still painful. Once the conversation was complete, Toni announced, "Nicky says that everyone felt that quake, and it's got his mom and dad worried. He's heading over to the Tregarth place, to see if your friend Jack knows anything about this. Toshiko? Do you think that this Rift you were talking about … do you think it has something to do with this? It's just that on the night that Tegan and Annis were taken, there was an earthquake then, and it was bigger than most of the earthquakes we get in Oklahoma."

"I wouldn't rule it out. What else can you tell me about that night? I know you've told me what you remember so far, but sometimes, you're not aware of forgetting something or overlooking. Even things that seem minor turn out to be incredibly important later on," Tosh observed. Toni clicked her mobile shut, frowning thoughtfully. Tosh was encouraged that the girl was taking her questions seriously … then again, from what she'd heard so far, the teen had the daylights scared out of her. First, there was the disappearance of those two girls and the earthquake that followed or occurred at the same time, and then there was the questioning when the Tregarths came a few days later. She _would_ take this seriously. If they were in Cardiff, she probably would have been retconned, but for whatever reason, Jack chose not to run that route. Maybe she would find out, once her mission back in the land of the living was accomplished.

At last, Toni said apologetically, "I can't think of anything else, Toshiko, I'm real sorry." Tosh smiled, though she was disappointed. Toni continued, "Can I wake you up if I think of anything else." Wake her up? She was already awake! Toni blushed and added, "Sorry, I wasn't thinking. But I can tell you later, if I think of something?" Tosh inclined her head, and Toni sighed, "Well, like I said, Nicky is going over to the Tregarth place. He was kinda planning to go over anyhow. He's studying to be a veterinarian … I mean, that's what he's going to study in college … and he always checks on the horses when things get weird. So, he'll check in with Captain Harkness and check on the horses at the same time."

"And what about you, Antoinette … what do you want to do?" Tosh asked. Toni put the mobile to one side and wrapped her arms around her legs. In some ways, Toni reminded Tosh of a younger version of herself, and yet not. Tosh continued, smiling a little, "Do you have any ideas? I always loved math and science. Most girls my age hated both of those, but I was different, strange, a freak." A freak. A memory surfaced, sometime after those missing two days that not even Jack remembered (and didn't want to remember) … Tosh referring to herself as a freak, and the flash of anger in Jack's blue eyes as he actually ordered to never speak of herself in that way again.

But before she could pursue that memory further, Toni was saying softly, "Sometimes I want to be a nurse, like Nicky's mom, and sometimes I want to go into the military. I don't think I'm strong enough to do that, though. I don't know yet, Toshiko, and sometimes I think I should." Tosh smiled at the girl gently, and Toni continued, "You think it's okay that I don't know what I want to be?" Tosh nodded, because by the time Toni was eighteen, she would likely change her mind five and six times.

"I think it's more than okay. You're still very young, Toni, and you'll have so many experiences in your life. I know when I was fifteen, I never expected to be part of a team that helped to save the world," Tosh replied. She thought about how she died, thought about the people she'd known. She thought about Tommy, about Mary, about trying to sooth away Jack's nightmares. She thought about the original Captain Jack Harkness and her time in 1941 with her Jack. And in the end, she looked back at Toni, adding, "And you know something? It was worth _every_ moment of terror, of pain. It was worth it all, and I'd do it again."

Toni was silent for a long time, and when she spoke at last, her words stunned Tosh. The girl murmured, "I hope I'm as brave as you are when I'm grown up." _Brave_? Tosh blinked at the teen, who nodded and continued, "You're _so_ brave. You died, helping to save the world, and you'd do it again. That's really brave." Tosh never looked at it that way. She was doing what had to be done, and making sure that Owen wasn't alone as he ceased to be, but that wasn't especially brave.

For the first time, she really thought about what dying over and over meant. She died and had oblivion until something woke her up. But Jack … he died and he came back. The longest time he stayed dead, to Tosh's knowledge, was three days … after he defeated Abaddon, after he destroyed Abaddon. And that memory still hurt, even after all these years. But … he died, after Owen killed him, and then he confronted Abaddon. Still wobbly, still shaky, but he faced off with that monster. It caused him agony, but he did it.

So, who was the more courageous one? The person who could only die once … some pain, maybe even agony, and then oblivion … or the one who died and came back, who faced the possibility of living forever, who loved and lost and then loved again? She remembered the explosion of pure joy she felt when she saw Jack appear with Gwen, which was surpassed only by the joy she felt when his arms wrapped around her. He was back, he was holding her, and he forgave her. He forgave all of them.

He left, but he came back. Three months later, but he came back, and Tosh realized that he didn't have to. Would she have come back, in his position? If someone betrayed her that horribly, and she had the chance to find out why she was the way she was, would she have come back? Tosh was sick to realize that she wouldn't have. She would have stayed away, and let them stumble along on their own. He came back. He came back and he didn't have to. He came back because he loved them. Tosh didn't know why she came back, but she would _stay_ for Jack.

TBC


	5. Chapter 4: Bleed-through

Author's Notes: Okay, I'm back on track after being distracted by a new alternate universe, _Points of Departure_, which came from a dream I had several months ago. Thus far, there are two stories in that universe …. _A Slightly More Perfect World_ and _… And Roses Suit You So_. If I ever get inspiration on other stories (such as Suzie's first meeting with Alice), I'll return to POD, but for now, I'm working on _Worlds Apart_ and _Birthright_ again. I recently started work once more and while the job is wonderful (to say nothing of having a paycheck), I have a fifty minute drive one way, so I'm exhausted when I get home. Updates will likely be slower as a result … but at least I'll have money to buy my nieces and nephews nice Christmas gifts this year. To my American readers on the East Coast: **PLEASE** be careful if you're in the path of Hurricane Sandy. We're heading to Myrtle Beach, South Carolina in a few hours to spend Halloween week with my munchkins, so we'll be out of its path … but please, don't take any chances with your lives or the lives of your families. In this chapter, Natalie apologizes to the rest of her family; Owen makes a potentially-devastating discovery during an exam; while the Gelfth make the second move in their new game. On with the story!

Chapter Four

Bleed-through

Not surprisingly, when Jack and Natalie joined the others downstairs, things were in an uproar. Natalie's mother took one look at them and smiled, mouthing, 'talk to me later.' Nat bobbed her head … that was just one of many conversations she needed to have, but it meant a lot to her that her mother, who was so very protective of Jack, was willing to listen to her. She likely wasn't pleased with Natalie (who, in fact, wasn't very pleased with herself), but she would at least listen to her. Her father would chew her out up one side and down the other, but that was to be expected. Her two sisters, on the other hand …

"Natalie Sophia Tregarth, you _naughty_ girl! I thought we would have to take Priscilla's suggestion and lock you and Jack into a closet until you worked things out … and Jack, I get enough jokes from Sexy Rexy about closets!" Octavia blurted out, sweeping over to scoop Natalie into her arms. The younger woman didn't even manage an 'eep' as her sister tried to squeeze the life out of her. And what was this about locking her and Jack in the closet? That would have been a disaster of epic proportion! She caught Priscilla's eye over Octavia's shoulder, and to her astonishment, her oldest sister blushed. Really? Priscilla honestly thought that locking her and Jack in anywhere was a good strategy? **REALLY**?

Jack evidently agreed, observing dryly, "As much fun as that might have been, especially in a small closet, I don't think that would have worked too well." Ahhh … no. That would have been … well, she already said a disaster of epic proportion, but the more she thought about it, the more it became clear to her that calling it that would have been a massive understatement. Jack added with a cheeky grin, "Nice thought, though, Priscilla … I'll keep that in mind for future reference." Judging from the way her oldest sister gulped, Natalie had the distinct impression that Jack's comment wasn't nearly as innocuous as it sounded.

"And that gives me the opening I needed, thank you so much for that, Jack," Natalie observed and Jack grinned at her impishly. She rolled her eyes, turned to her sisters, and said more seriously, "I owe everyone an apology for the way I've been acting. I think Jack and I have worked things out, to both of our satisfaction." Jack's eyebrows waggled at that, and Nat thought briefly about telling him to get his mind out of the gutter. But then, she saw the way both of her sisters were reacting (as if they were trying not to swallow their respective tongues), and decided to ham it up. She sidled over to Jack, slipping her arm around his waist, and batted her eyes at both sisters. Jack laughed aloud with delight, while her mother rolled her eyes.

However, Sophia answered, "Apology accepted, dear one … we were all worried about you, but as long as you and Jack sorted it out, that's the most important thing. But sweetheart, just understand that you need to tell us what's bothering you. It may be too big for you to handle alone, and not only are we a family … we're also a team. What affects you, affects all of us." Yeah, so she was realizing … and the longer since her 'breakthrough,' the harder it was for her to understand what she was thinking.

"Soph, what's the latest? Where's Nicky?" Jack asked before Natalie, or her mother, could go off on a tangent. And, unfortunately, that was entirely possible. Natalie's mother blanched a little … oh, that didn't look promising … and Jack continued, "That doesn't bode well. What's happened?" Sophia, Priscilla, and Octavia all looked at each other, their expressions ranging from 'worried' to 'somewhat confused,' and Jack muttered, sounding more than a little exasperated, "There's a reason they say '_the silence is deafening_.' Now, just how bad is it?"

"Nicky got a call from Toni Weber, the young girl who was involved when the Rift opened here in Oklahoma," Priscilla answered, sounding more than a bit reluctant. Jack nodded … they all remembered that, but Natalie realized that she was reminding them of this for their mother's sake. Priscilla went on, "Something must have spooked her but good to call Nicky at home. She has something of a crush on him, something that her mother doesn't like at all. And ever since the Rift opened, Toni has been trying very hard not to disappoint her parents again."

Which meant whatever was going on, it was important enough for Toni to risk her parents' ire. Oh, this wasn't promising at all. Jack asked, "Is Nicky still here?" Priscilla nodded and their immortal captain nodded, murmuring, "We'll need to talk to him. Nat, did you want to see to Ailsa first, or …?" Natalie allowed herself a small smile and Jack narrowed his eyes at her, adding, "Is there something you'd like to tell me, Natalie Sophia?" His question was answered a moment later when a familiar squeal threatened to burst everyone's eardrums, along with two sets of footsteps galloping down the staircase. Jack looked back at her, obviously amused as he added, "Of course. You hung back briefly before we went into the upstairs computer room."

A pint-sized missile zoomed past him and Natalie dropped to one knee … partly to catch her daughter and partly to avoid being knocked over. A second after that, a small body impacted her own and she still nearly fell over. Esther said, entering the room at a slightly more sedate pace, "She was very pleased when she woke up and heard that Mommy and Jack were okay now. And you _are_ okay, aren't you? Both of you?" Natalie bobbed her head briefly as she rose to her feet with her daughter in her arms, Ailsa's legs wrapped around her waist. Esther asked, a note of steel entering her voice, "So what happened?"

"That's a very long story, Esther, and once we finish with this, I need to see Owen," Natalie replied. Now, the quiet steel in Esther's expression was replaced with confusion, and the youngest Tregarth offspring added, "It seems I wasn't in my right mind at the time, and I have to figure out exactly what happened. Yes, Jack, you're quite correct … _we_ have to figure out exactly what happened. The best way I can think to explain is … okay, you know when you're trying to tune the radio and you think you've gotten the right station? All of the information checks out, but you're getting some bleed-through on other stations? That's what it felt like."

Ailsa pulled back to look at her, her own confusion evident, "So you weren't really mad at Jack, Mommy?" Natalie shook her head. No, she wasn't mad and she wasn't angry … at most, in her right mind, she would have been mildly irritated. Ailsa continued, "Did you say you're sorry to Jack? You're s'posed to say you're sorry, Mommy, remember?" Esther bit her lip, eyes twinkling as she evidently figured out what was coming next … the rest of the Tregarth females gathered all smirked … while Jack just looked resigned. Oh, he knew what was coming next.

Natalie reassured her daughter, "I did apologize to him, baby, and gave him a great, big hug. But you know something? I think he would like it a lot if you gave him one, too?" She raised her eyebrows and lowered her voice. A pout appeared on her little girl's face, but only a tiny one. However, Ailsa threw her little arms around Natalie's neck, giving her a hug that threatened to cut off her oxygen supply … or would have, if Natalie weren't used to her daughter's fierce hugs. And then, the pressure was eased and Ailsa made one of her lunges for Jack. He quickly grabbed her, shooting Natalie a _very_ filthy look, which said oh so clearly, '_you __**will**__ pay for this_!' She merely smiled sweetly. He'd have to catch her first.

And Ailsa was squeezing Jack for all she was worth, murmuring, "I'm sorry I was mean to you, Jack. I thought you hurt Mommy." _I thought you hurt Mommy. I thought Mommy was hurt_. Natalie glanced over at her oldest sister, who was smiling faintly as she recognized those words as well. Jack merely hugged Ailsa in return, kissing the top of her head lightly. She knew that making things right with the entire family was only just beginning … her father would not be pleased with her at all. Well, that was to be expected. She braced herself for the fireworks that would commence once Nicky told them what they needed to know.

TWTWTWTWTWTWTW

As it happened, Owen Harper missed most of Torchwood's figurehead ranting at his youngest daughter, because the doctor spent more of his time in the bunkhouse while Lucas brought him up to speed on Gaetano. The young Italian boy timidly asked that Lucas be the one to treat him, because Owen scared him. Evidently, while Owen's people skills improved while he was in the other dimension, they hadn't improved quite enough. Or, as Carlyon observed when he heard about the boy's request, his Jack-skills improved far more than his people-skills did.

_Yeah, yeah, ha, ha_. From what Lucas said, it sounded like Gaetano was making good progress. He healed from the snake bite, and he was settling in with the Havelocks. It was funny, really, when Owen thought about it. The Havelocks and the Hallorans were staunch allies to the Tregarths and Torchwood. It was true that the Hallorans were there from the beginning, when the Rift re-opened; and since the night Owen returned to Earth, the Havelocks were always around when they were needed. He knew that like Matthew Halloran, Charles Havelock wanted to make amends for what he did while being possessed by the Kinnickkinnock. Unlike the latter, however, Matthew Halloran was never a member of UNIT … nor was he on the Valiant during the Year that Owen couldn't remember. Charles Havelock, however, was … and the last time Owen accompanied Gaetano to their home, he finally broke down and told Owen exactly what he wanted to know about that Year, about the Valiant, and everything that happened.

Owen wished to Christ he'd known about this sooner, and yet, he couldn't blame Jack for not wanting to talk about it after the Year was turned back and he returned to them. No one liked admitting when they were hurt that badly … most people just wanted to forget if they could, and move on with their lives … and Jack wasn't just hurt, he was tortured. Charles Havelock's self-loathing was obvious to see, but Owen realized that he couldn't blame the former UNIT member, either. Oh, he wanted to … but he was wise enough (to say nothing of mature enough) to acknowledge that he probably couldn't have done any better. Hell, he probably would have gotten himself killed the first time this Master did anything more than shoot Jack in the head, and that wouldn't have helped anyone, least of all Jack. If he'd had to watch Jack being tortured … especially so soon after Abaddon … he would have gotten himself killed. There was no question in Owen's mind about that.

_I came back for you … for all of you_, Jack had said upon his return, and for the first time, Owen appreciated what that meant. He also understood about being used and manipulated. He understood that painfully well. Maybe that was why, after Nicky Halloran explained about Toni Weber's phone call and what exactly that meant, while everyone else was heading off to do research, Owen snagged Natalie's wrist and murmured, "C'mon down to the Hub and let me check you over while everyone is distracted." She nodded and followed him into the bunkhouse and then down into the Hub.

They left Ailsa playing with Jack's face, as well as Carlyon still fuming that there might have been something wrong with his youngest daughter and no one had known, and it took all of Owen's self-control to keep from snarking, '_and your daughter grew up thinking that you were her grandfather, what's your point_?' However, he understood Carlyon's fear. Owen shook his head. Sometimes, being grown-up really sucked, especially when you could see both sides of an argument. And it wasn't even really an argument, but Owen also could see why Natalie didn't say anything about the way she was feeling.

He helped her onto the examination table, saying as he got his scanners ready, "So, the best way you can describe it as tuning into a radio station and getting some bleed-through?" Natalie bobbed her head and Owen continued, "Well, the good news is, I'm not picking up anything that shouldn't be in there … and the bad news is, I'm not picking up anything that shouldn't be in there." That made her smile, and Owen grinned, continuing, "Okay, I'm switching over … hello, what's this?" Natalie froze and he observed, "I'm not sure if anything's wrong, but I'm going to forward this to my computer. I don't know if you know this, but I've taken pictures of your brain waves before, and I don't think they're supposed to look like that."

"What, exactly, does that mean?" she inquired, sounding nervous. Owen flashed a reassuring smile as he put down the scanner, and moved over to his computer. Oh yes, he had much nicer toys this time around and he thoroughly enjoyed experimenting with those new toys. He discovered that he could e-mail the results to himself, though it took him a little experimentation to get the letters correct. Owen thought of Ianto, programming his PDA to locate the SUV while they were investigating the cannibals, and his heart hurt a little. He missed Ianto more than he wanted to admit, and he knew for a fact that even though Jack didn't talk about Ianto or Tosh a great deal, he missed them keenly as well. But Jack had four years to come to terms with Tosh's death, and nearly three years to come to terms with Ianto's, and Owen had only a few months.

"It means that your brain waves are a little different than normal, that's all … but there's something strangely familiar about them at the same time," Owen replied a bit absently as he compared the most recent scan with the scan he'd taken when he first decided to remain with Torchwood Oklahoma. He'd seen a pattern like that before, now where did he put that file? Oh, right … that was on the flash drive which the Tregarths got from the Colasanto compound.

"Well, that's good. I think," Natalie replied with a rueful smile. She winked at him as familiar footsteps clattered down the ladder, adding, "So, have you found anything, Owen?" He was on the point of saying '_no_,' when his computer beeped at him. There was a match … and Owen's blood ran cold. Natalie asked, seeing his expression, "Owen? What's wrong? Is there something wrong with my brain?" Owen shook himself, hearing the fear in her voice.

"No … no, nothing like that. Listen, can you go into the storage room and pull some files for me? I think I may have caused an issue when I scanned some things in, and I want to verify that," he answered with a reassuring smile. Well, he was only lying a little … there wasn't anything wrong with her brain, but he knew damn good and well that the scans were fine. He just needed to buy himself some time to figure this out. Natalie eyed him suspiciously, but did as he asked, closing the door behind her. He said without looking over his shoulder, "You need to see this, Jack. After Suzie's second death, I did a scan of Cooper's brain to cover all bases."

Jack slipped quietly from the shadows to peer over Owen's shoulder, not speaking. The doctor continued, "This is Natalie's brain waves, taken just moments ago. See that? That shouldn't be there … and it matches Cooper's brain wave exactly, when Suzie was draining the life from her." Owen chanced a look at his boss, and to say that Jack looked furious was something of an understatement. Owen continued, "I don't have an explanation for you, Jack. I'm pretty sure that Suzie and Natalie never met, but that's what I'm seeing."

"They never met, but Natalie mentioned that she dreamed of a woman in a coffin telling her that I needed her … at roughly the same time the attack took place. She saw things through this woman's eyes," Jack answered quietly. He rubbed his thumb along his lower lip, murmuring, "To the best of my knowledge, Natalie was never even in the garage until after that incident. I don't know, Owen. I just don't know." The two men shared a troubled look … concerned for Natalie, and worried about Suzie Costello's re-entry into their world. Yes, Suzie's warning assisted the others in rescuing Jack, and no, there was no connection formed by the Knife or the Gauntlet … but this was the woman who set events in motion so she could return from the dead and kill her father. There was a good chance that Natalie was still in danger. Jack murmured, "It was strange … almost as if a switch was flipped inside Natalie's head, just before the quake. But we keep an eye on this … do another scan tonight. Tell her what you need to."

"I can tell her the truth … the more scans we have, the better it will be," Owen answered softly and Jack nodded with a small smile. The doctor continued, mindful of the creak of the door that would announce Natalie's return, "We won't let Suzie have her, Jack, her or anyone else. I promise you, whatever Suzie is trying to do, we won't let her hurt any of our family or our team." Jack's expression softened, just a touch, and then Owen realized what he'd said. He'd referred to the Tregarths as his family. Oh well. The doctor shrugged, and then the door creaked open once more, admitting Natalie back into the med-bay with the requested files. She looked from one man to the other suspiciously, but held her tongue. Instead, Natalie handed the files in question to Owen and conversation turned to the Rift activity.

TWTWTWTWTWTW

About forty-five minutes after Toni hung up from speaking with Nicky Halloran, her mobile rang and the girl observed, sounding more than a touch surprised (and equally excited), "It's Nicky … he must be back from the Tregarths. Hang on, I'll see what he's found out … or if there's anything to report yet." Tosh very discreetly didn't listen, and instead, while the girl was on the phone, tried to figure out the limits of her new/temporary existence. She would view this as a temporary existence, for the simple fact that she'd been in oblivion for four years. Tosh quickly learned that she couldn't manipulate matter, no matter how hard she focused. Toni could feel it when Tosh tried to touch her, but no one else in the family could. Attempts to open the doors failed miserably … she could only pass through. It was more or less what she expected.

What she didn't expect was the weird feeling she received when she accidentally stepped through Toni. You would have expected that sense to be what some called the feeling of someone walking on your grave. But it wasn't like that at all. More like … really, it was more like a dizzy spell when you got up too fast from your chair or a kneeling position. Or, when she was younger, something that seemed incredibly surreal (after she joined Torchwood … really, when her mother was taken hostage, 'surreal' took on a whole new meaning). Tosh wasn't entirely certain how it was possible that she could feel anything, but the fact remained that she could. Not the same as having the ability to touch (something she missed far more than she thought she would), but it was still something.

During Toni's brief (but intense) conversation with her Nicky, Tosh reflected on what she learned since her return to the land of the living. Jack left Cardiff, most likely after Ianto's death … a new Rift opened in Oklahoma … Ianto was dead … someone named 'Owen Harper' was part of Jack's new team … Toni's heartthrob Nicky both envied and admired Jack. It seemed that Jack saved the boy's life at some point in the past, and Tosh wondered if it resulted in another death for her former captain. On the other hand, wasn't he still her captain? Tosh realized with a bemused humor that he was indeed. Jack was still her captain and she still loved Owen. There were some things that truly never changed.

Toni reported back that the Tregarths were aware of the earthquake, and that they were monitoring it … whatever that meant. Tosh, however, knew exactly what that meant. The Tregarths were, after all, Torchwood. And Nicky would call them the following day to set up a meeting with Toni. And Tosh, too, since the ghost/spirit/disembodied soul wouldn't leave Toni's side. She wasn't sure why, but she had this impetus to stay with the girl. Maybe it was the teen's exposure to the Rift, maybe she reminded Tosh just a bit of herself, and maybe Tosh just felt like a protective big sister. She just knew that she couldn't allow Toni to go through this alone. Besides, she couldn't resist the possibility of seeing not just Jack again, but Owen as well … if it really _was_ her Owen.

After Toni finished with what she wanted to say, the girl fell silent for a while, and Tosh realized there was more she needed to know. A lot more, even if it had nothing to do with the situation at hand. At the top of that list was the obvious … namely, their likely allies. Tosh asked, "So, the other people with Jack … with Captain Harkness … what are they like? You told me their names, but I'd like to know a little more about them." Her young companion looked a little startled, but that didn't last long. Her eyes narrowed, in a way that Tosh was beginning to recognize as her '_I need to think about that_' expression. They had plenty of time, and Tosh grimaced. Actually, no … no, they didn't have a lot of time, that was the worst part.

At last, Toni replied, "Well, there's Mr. Carlyon Tregarth, the head of the household. He's a World War II veteran who moved to the United States, like, a thousand years ago from the UK. He has three daughters … Priscilla, Octavia, and Natalie, but everyone thought for a long time that Natalie was his granddaughter, 'cause she's a lot younger than Priscilla and Octavia. She's younger than my mom and dad, I think, but not by much. His wife's name is Sophia … she's real pretty, and kinda cool. She's supposedly eighty or so, real old, but she was in cryo-stasis, so she looks the same as when she went into her cryo-stasis." If it were possible, if she still had a body, Tosh's eyebrows would have climbed into her hairline. Interesting. Very interesting.

There were also the grandchildren, aside from little Ailsa, who was five years old and the adopted daughter of Natalie Tregarth: Jason and Lucas Martinelli, the sons of Octavia Tregarth, who were twenty-five and twenty-two respectively; and Adriane Tregarth, who was twenty-three. Tosh learned that Jason was a former soldier and Lucas was an EMT and pilot for the family (she made a mental note to ask about that later). That wasn't taking into account the two Americans who recently joined Jack: Rex Matheson, the former CIA agent who was having an affair with Octavia (much to Toni's delight and Tosh didn't bother asking why); and Esther Drummond, a young blonde woman whom Toni was both jealous of and intrigued by.

Tosh bit back her observations about being jealous of someone she'd never met, but asked why she was intrigued by the blonde girl, when she wasn't jealous of Adriane Tregarth (with whom Nicky Halloran was actually in love). Toni answered simply, '_because she's pretty, she's with Captain Harkness and Nicky really likes her a lot_.' That surprised Tosh a little … not that her young companion was jealous of someone her infatuation/wished-for love liked, or even that Nicky envied as well as admired Jack, but what did surprise her was the information that Jack was involved with this girl Esther. Yes, she once told Gwen that Jack would shag anyone who was gorgeous (or, at least, he considered gorgeous), but she remembered the way he looked at Ianto. On the other hand, it was what, three years since Ianto's death? And Jack would live forever. Tosh would have shuddered, if she could have.

But Toni continued, "Well, you know that Nicky told me that Miss Drummond took care of Captain Harkness while he was sick … and then he thought she was dead." Oh. That changed everything, right there … not just that Esther Drummond looked after Jack, something she already knew, during the abomination known as Miracle Day, but that Jack thought he'd lost her. She remembered how he mourned for his namesake when they returned from 1941, a man whom he'd known only for a few hours. To think that he'd lost a young woman who cared for him (and Tosh still didn't know exactly what happened, in part because Toni herself didn't know). He'd lost Ianto (to say nothing of Tosh and Owen); he'd lost Esther and gotten her back. He wasn't about to throw that away.

She was on the point of asking another question when Tosh felt _something_. It was quite powerful and … evil. Tosh never understood what people meant when they described a house being evil or something being evil incarnate … until now. Toni must have sensed something as well, because she asked with a trembling voice, "What is that? Do you feel it too?" Tosh nodded, growing more and more disturbed by everything that was happening. That was bad enough … but what came next was even more disturbing.

Toni's light brown eyes literally turned white and she chanted, "_Pity the Gelfth, for we once had corporeal bodies, as this child does … but the Time War, the Time Lords, stole that from us. Once before, we sought entrance into your world … but the Time Lord known as the Doctor denied us. He turned our Rift child against us and she destroyed our portal. We seek only corporeal bodies to touch and feel once again. You can understand that, can you not_?" Tosh didn't answer at first … she knew about the Doctor, of course. She'd met him during one of his incarnations, and Jack thought highly of him. Torchwood was founded to protect the British Empire in specific and the Earth in general from the Doctor, but Tosh was inclined to trust Jack when he said that the Doctor sought to protect the Earth.

So, if the Doctor prevented the Gelfth from entering their world, it was a pretty good bet that the Gelfth meant humanity no kindness. Tosh asked, "And how would you get these bodies?" She actually had a very good idea, but she wanted them to tell her. If she was correct, she would need Toni's help to reach Jack … and Toni would remember what the Gelfth said while he/she/it/they were in her body. Besides, this would give her time to think about what she would say. _There was_, she thought a bit ruefully, _something to be said for buying yourself time. Especially when you were an apparition who couldn't reach the rest of your team and your only current ally was a psychic teenager already touched with the Rift_.

"From your dead. They no longer need their bodies, their spirits have left this plane of existence … as yours should have … and their bodies are now nothing more than empty husks," was the reply. Tosh shuddered a little … on the one hand, she couldn't argue with that particular truth. On the other hand … it creeped her out. It was one thing to wear someone else's clothing … but to wear someone else's skin? That just … However, she didn't have to do it. The Gelfth-in-Toni continued, "_Will you grant us this boon, child of the Rift_?"

"That is not my choice to make. In three days time, I will meet you at the newest extension of the Rift, and then, I will tell you what humanity has decided … along with how the Gelfth will leave this world," Tosh answered. There was no answer from the Gelfth … but Toni's eyes returned to normal and she collapsed to the ground with a whimper. Tosh swore under her breath, because she had no body and thus, no way of breaking the girl's fall. Or of comforting her, as Toni's broken sobs tore at her heart.

"We can't let them do this, Toshiko! They don't stop with dead bodies … they kill the living and assume their bodies as well! I saw in their minds, and they want to take over the entire world! The Doctor was right to deny them entrance to our world," Toni sobbed. Tosh nodded grimly. She thought as much. Back when she first joined Torchwood, Suzie went through the old archives for their Cardiff branch. Their branch wasn't formed until several years later, but there were still records from that time. Tosh wondered about that … and if Jack had something to do with it. Toni sat up, wiping at her eyes … wiping away the tears, but not the fierce determination. She went on, "I saw more than they thought … they caused the earthquake."

"That doesn't surprise me. Toni, I know you're scared out of your mind and I know you're shattered, but right now, I need you to be strong. While the information is still fresh, I need you to write down everything you remember … everything that might help us, no matter how small or strange it sounds," Tosh told her. She hated herself for putting this on the girl, but she had no hands, no way of recording this. And somewhere in the back of her mind, she wondered if this was sometimes how Jack felt. The memory of Tommy pushed itself to the forefront of her mind, but Tosh pushed it back. She couldn't afford to think about the past … she had to focus on the present and on the future. Alive or dead or somewhere in between, Tosh was still a member of Torchwood, and she was still bound to protect the Earth in any way she could.

TBC


	6. Chapter 5: When the Dead Walk the Earth

Author's Notes: I'm _so_ sorry it's taken me so long to get this out … the last few months have been extremely busy, between my job (which is wrapping up), the holidays, and our trips. I have another two coming up … one to meet my friend from Australia in Washington DC and another to Georgia again to see my nieces and nephew … after my job wraps up on the 31st. Oh, and if you haven't had a chance to see it, I highly recommend _The Hobbit_. Richard Armitage is absolutely awesome as Thorin Oakenshield. In the meantime, here's the next chapter of _The Hidden Child_, in which Carlyon looks to the future; a prisoner of the Families makes her voice heard (and she ain't happy at all); while the local sheriff puts in an appearance. For the record, the actress who popped into my head when I created Sheriff Pilar Espinosa is Lana Parilla, the incredibly awesome actress who plays Regina on _Once Upon a Time_. As to the update itself, you can thank two painfully quiet days at work for me working a few things out. I believe we'll get back to Tosh and Toni in the next chapter, but nothing's ever written in stone.

Chapter Five

When the Dead Walk the Earth

Carlyon Tregarth wasn't at all happy about the way things had gone over the course of the day. It was bad enough when his youngest daughter took offense at a comment of Jack's while they were working at the veterans' home. Natalie tended to be his quiet child, and when she got upset, so did her daughter. And then, he learned that she'd not been feeling like herself during the last few months … right around the time they went to Nevada, in fact. Like Jack, he was quite certain that she wasn't exposed to any alien influence, but that wasn't the point. She was his daughter, his little girl, and the idea that something could have been happening to his baby daughter to change her personality so drastically … it frightened him. It frightened him terribly.

And no, he wasn't happy with her lashing out at Jack over what was basically an innocent tease, but that was between them. Jack would (and did) handle it as he saw fit. Carlyon's concern was with his daughter's mental health and with the possibility that something could have a foothold on his Torchwood branch. He was equally aware that Owen Harper considered him something of a hypocrite, given what Carlyon kept from Natalie for so many years. The young doctor wouldn't say anything … he was still too uncomfortable with his place in Torchwood Oklahoma, but he could see it in Owen's expression.

However, Owen did tell Carlyon what he (and Jack) believed was what happened to Natalie. For the first time, Carlyon heard about how his old friend was attacked during their time in Nevada. Oh, he knew about the event, but this was the first time he heard any details … including the revelation that Natalie had a nightmare that led her to the garage where Jack died repeatedly. It was then that Owen explained that he compared Natalie's brainwaves against those of Cooper's when a connection was created between the former constable and the late Suzie Costello, and found some similarities. It wasn't hard to see where Owen was going with this. Carlyon asked, '_so you're telling me that somehow, a dead woman forged a connection with my daughter to warn her about the danger to Jack_?' Owen nodded, and Carlyon went on, '_and you think that is what caused Natalie to feel unlike herself_.'

'We _don't know for certain, Carl, but I find the timing real interesting_,' Jack observed. He and Owen exchanged a look, and then Jack continued, '_I just … I've learned the hard way not to underestimate Suzie Costello, and I'm not willing to risk Natalie's life or sanity by assuming Suzie's out of commission for good_.' Carlyon couldn't disagree with that. Privately, he warned the supposedly dead woman what he would do if she harmed his child. He had no idea yet what he could do to her, but her lack of a corporeal body wasn't about to stop him from protecting any of his daughters.

But there was another issue, a far more immediate issue, and one that he couldn't quite bring himself to address yet. It involved information he'd received from Washington DC earlier in the week. Being the director of Torchwood, even as a figurehead, meant making painful decisions … and sometimes, that was as 'simple' as breaking bad news to someone. Once Lucas finished briefing Owen about Gaetano's progress, Carlyon put him to work confirming that information. His younger grandson merely looked at him for several moments, before lowering his head and starting his work. By now, Carlyon was growing used to Lucas reacting in such a way. Owen referred to it as his '_okay, whatever, I'll do it, I don't wanna know_' expression. Carlyon had a hard time disagreeing with that estimation of things. It was actually quite irritating, that habit of Owen's of saying things that he couldn't disagree or argue with. In some ways, the returned doctor reminded Carlyon quite a lot of himself when he was young, and that terrified Carlyon as few things could have. Well, there was something that terrified him even more … the thoughtful expression on Jack's face when he once mentioned that fact to his old friend, to say nothing of his wife's almost evil smirk when that observation was repeated to her.

That wasn't taking into account the recent 'earthquake' which was patently not of this world. The odds were good that it was Rift-related, but he was holding off on making that call. Information was still coming in about that, and his initial hopes that there was an explosion at an oil refinery were dwindling. The Rift was involved, and he didn't yet have enough information. None of them had enough information yet, and information was power. He made a face when he realized what he'd just thought. There were times when Carlyon wondered what he was thinking when he proposed rebuilding Torchwood with Jack … he was eighty-nine years old, after all, and nearing the end of his life. He couldn't see the end of his life, but Carlyon knew that he was running out of time. Shouldn't he be enjoying his grandchildren and getting to know his youngest daughter properly, as her father rather than as her grandfather?

But then he remembered the look on Jack's face the night that he learned the truth about the 456, and Carlyon knew that at the very least, he had to atone for that. Besides, this new Torchwood branch was a legacy, was his legacy, to his children and grandchildren (and, God forbid, any great-grandchildren he might see). While they were all painfully inexperienced right now, excluding his two oldest daughters, he knew that with Torchwood, he'd given a purpose to his youngest daughter and three oldest grandchildren. After he was gone, it was up to them to decide what would be done with it. There were worse things to do with one's life … far worse.

For now, he had paperwork to complete (the bane of his existence … apparently, the amount of paperwork that had to be filled out even by a Torchwood figurehead tripled in the last forty-five years). This, at least, was simple … Her Majesty wanted a full profile on the entire complement. He'd done the hardest ones first … Rex and Esther and his own … and now he was working on the rest of the family. Oh, Carlyon knew she wanted the profiles to make sure he had strong, honorable people in his Torchwood branch. But he also knew that she was concerned about Jack. She asked him about their immortal friend every time they spoke. Carlyon suspected that where Her Majesty was concerned, that eighteen year old girl who first met Jack Harkness still resided deep within her soul. Jack had that effect on people.

He made sure to tell her what was passed along by way of Angelo Colasanto's lawyer: how his men were in the UK, watching over Jack's daughter Melissa. She was silent briefly, before saying quietly that she was pleased. Carlyon found that very telling. 'I,' rather than the royal 'we,' which made it clear that she was speaking as Jack's friend, rather than as the Queen of England. He was pleased as well. He knew that Angelo had a wider reach than he would admit to, and so long as Angelo's men drew breath, Alice Carter would be well-protected. He hadn't liked her mother, but she was Jack's daughter … and for that reason alone, he would ensure that she was protected to the best of his ability.

Assuming, of course, that it wasn't already too late.

TWTWTWTWTWTW

She thought she hit the lowest point of her life two years earlier when she lost her entire family, lost everything that mattered to her. She was wrong … so terribly, painfully wrong. First came the two or three days when she could remember nothing (something that made her shudder, because the unknown is so much more terrifying). Next was the Miracle, those dreadful two months when previously-dying people were placed into ovens (to say nothing of a fully-conscious, fully-coherent woman, which gave her nightmares for weeks) … when no one died, when no one could die. She tried to kill herself often enough, and for the first time, she began to see the outlines of what her father endured.

There was a time when she told someone that a man who couldn't die had nothing to fear. Oh, she was so very wrong about that. So, so wrong, and it was too late for her to realize that, to accept that, because too many things went wrong between her and her father, even before his final betrayal. And she wanted to put all the blame on him, but she knew how dishonest it would have been to do that. She no longer had the energy to lie to herself. So, when the Miracle ended and those suffering through life finally began to die (began to find peace), she felt a fierce pride, because she knew … she _knew_, without any doubt, that it was her father who put an end to this atrocity. She had no idea how he did it, but she didn't care. She hadn't forgiven him, and probably never would (or so she told herself at the time), but she was so proud of him for ending that obscenity and ending the suffering of so many.

And now? Well, now, even her assertion that she'd never forgive her father was fading. Ever since she was captured, three and a half months after the end of the Miracle, she'd learned a great deal about the things her mother kept from her. Oh, her father was no angel … he never claimed to be, but her mum wasn't the victim she claimed to be either. And it made her angry … so terribly angry. Angry with her mum for lying to her and angry with her father for not setting the record straight. It began when that red-haired slag mocked her mum, saying, '_she must have really hated your father … she renamed you after a woman who tortured him_.' She stared at the American chippy, who took gleeful advantage of having a captive audience to read her excerpts from her namesake's journal, excerpts that made her mouth go dry with horror. At first, she tried to tell herself that he deserved it, after what he'd done to her. But the more she heard … oh God, the more she heard, the more she wanted to be sick. It simply never occurred to her, the many ways you could hurt someone who couldn't die … who couldn't stay dead.

She also learned that the man whom her captors killed when she was taken was there to protect her. Evidently, a past lover of her father's knew about what her father did to her, and wanted to protect her, since she wanted nothing more to do with him. A man died, a man whom she didn't know, and who didn't know her, but that man died protecting her. A man died protecting her, and she had no idea if he had a family who mourned him … or even if her father knew what her former lover was trying to do. She wouldn't put it past him, and that caused the old hatred to surge within her again, because he had no right, no right in the world to try to protect her, not after what he had done.

But the next day, her chief tormentor was back, reading more excerpts from the journal of her namesake, and try as she might, she couldn't cover her ears. Not then, nor when she learned that her father's lover at the time died the day before her child did. She was so very tired of her whirling emotions, of hearing the awful things that were done to her father because he couldn't stay dead, of swinging back and forth between hating her father for what he was and what he did, and resenting her mother for lying to her, for taking her away from the life she'd known. There were so many things she'd never known, never wanted to know because then she would have felt a responsibility to do something, and she didn't want to do anything. It wasn't her problem, it wasn't her fault, it wasn't her choice to come into this world and every time she tried to leave it, the bloody Miracle interfered. And she realized, with a horrified gasp, that she sounded like a whining teenager when she talked and thought like that, '_I didn't ask to be born, I didn't ask to have an immortal for a father_.' All true. But the world didn't revolve around her, something she should have learned as a teenager … if not sooner … and evidently didn't.

Her self-loathing, never far from the surface, needed to be redirected if she wanted to survive this and make sure no one was ever hurt like this again by these monsters in human flesh. And she did, she realized … she did want to survive, and fortunately for her, there was a handy target for that re-channeling. It was re-directed to her captors, the horribly-misnamed 'Families.' She channeled her self-loathing, her hatred of her father, her resentment of her mother onto them, because they were the closest ones … the ones she could hurt, even in little ways. And that was only the beginning. Oh, she already despised her captors. As soon as she realized they were behind that obscenity misnamed 'the Miracle,' she completely loathed them. But then came the day when she told her captors that if they were trying to lure her father into a trap by using her, they were wasting their time … and they laughed in her face.

That was the day she learned that they weren't trying to lure him into a trap at all. Her face burned as she remembered how they laughed at her mockingly, truly amused by what they considered her innocence. They wanted to know how much of her father's … resiliency … she inherited. It was then that she learned the story of the Miracle and how they created that abomination. For the first time, she heard about the night her father was killed, over and over, in the basement of a butcher shop in New York City. To say that she was horrified would have been an understatement. It was then that she began to realize the truth: she still hated her father somewhat, but she loved him as well. She must have loved him … for what was done to him that night, she wanted to kill whoever was responsible, as well as whoever benefited.

After that, her hatred of her captors grew. If she didn't know better, she would think that was exactly what her gaoler was trying to do … especially after she discovered that agent (whose name she wouldn't even think … she didn't deserve the use of her name) put a bomb inside her father. And how was that made possible? Because her father was at a hospital, trying to find a child with the intent of seeing how those monsters were controlling the children. She wanted to be sick when she heard about that … to say nothing of hearing about how he was encased in concrete. Her mind nearly shuddered to a stop. Whatever she wanted to do to her father in the wake of that horrifying day, it couldn't come close to what was already done to him in the name of science, in the name of love, in the name of protecting the Earth, in the name of Torchwood.

If she hated the days when the red-haired trollop was here, then the days she was left alone were even worse. Those were the days when she only had her thoughts for company, those were the days when she began to truly process what she was told about … well, everything (including the information that her father used a monster to end a monster. She couldn't bring herself to hate him for that. Especially not when he gave the lesser monster a way to end himself as well). Even before, the 'what-ifs' tormented her. What if she'd done this, what if she'd done that, what could she have changed to change the events of that day, that week, her entire life? Not things that she couldn't control (such as whom her parents were or what her father was), but choices she made … could she have made different choices? And that was a torture in and of itself, because now, after the fact, she saw where different choices could have been made. It was long past time she took responsibility for what she did as well. And slowly, oh so slowly, her feelings changed. About her mother, about her father, about the mess that was her early life, about everything. The only thing that didn't change was her hatred for those who held her captive.

Day by day, her resistance to the lies told by the monsters grew stronger. She derived childish glee in her gaoler's face the day she threw her lunch in her face, at the look of '_she wasn't supposed to react that way_' that crossed the younger woman's face. And that was what was the final trigger for her. She wasn't reacting the way she was supposed to. She wasn't doing what she was supposed to be doing, and that caused the final piece of the puzzle to click into place. They were trying to break her, between the experimentation on what would hurt her (everything, really) and the revelations about her father.

She would have laughed, but she was still aching over the most recent set of experiments. They thought to break her. What they were really doing was putting her back together, with hatred and fury and a fierce desire to protect what family had left. Her father made his choices, and she made her own, but the wonderful thing about choices was that you could make new ones. It was too late for her child, it was too late for her mother, it was even too late for her ex-husband, but it wasn't too late for her. She had no illusions about how much longer she would live … the red haired bitch let that slip one day, but she swore to herself that before she died, she would hold her father one last time and tell him that he'd broken her heart, but she forgave him. She only hoped that he would be able to forgive her as well.

But if there was one thing that Jack Harkness excelled at, aside from destroying things, it was at forgiving those who hurt him. Alice Carter, who was now taking back her birth name of Melissa Moretti, had no doubt that he would forgive her. Just as she had no doubt that one day, one way, she would be free of the Families. When that day came, she would return to her father and stand at his side as they took the Families down together, as a family, the way they should have been all the time. It was still surreal, having a father who would live forever and age at a glacial rate, but there were far worse things in life. She already experienced those things and came through on the other side. They would make the Families rue the day they came after this family.

TWTWTWTWTWTWTW

One of the first things she did when she was elected sheriff was institute a policy where, one day a week, she would drive around to the various families on the 'outskirts' of town, such as the Havelocks, the Hallorans, and the Tregarths. Unfortunately, with the advent of Miracle Day (and before then, the mess with the children), she couldn't always carry out that policy-although she made an exception when some young idiots decided to shoot up the Tregarth house, and brought the wrath of Natalie down upon their idiotic heads-but she did her best. It had been several months since she was last to the Tregarth place, and it was long overdue for a visit. That so-called 'earthquake' and the weird mierda that went on since then was as good an excuse as any. Besides, she'd never met their new 'houseguests,' who were actually living there, and Sheriff Pilar Espinosa thought it was long past time she remedied that. Besides, the last time she was there, she hadn't the opportunity to talk to her high school classmate, Natalie.

It would have been an overstatement, to say that they were friends, but they weren't enemies, or even frenemies. They attended the same classes, and sometimes Natalie would help Pilar with her homework … sometimes, Pilar would correct Natalie's Latin pronunciation. They weren't friends, they weren't enemies, they were classmates, they laughed and hugged when they graduated from high school, and that was good enough for them both. Natalie remained in their little town, while Pilar joined the Marines with a desire to leave this thrice-be-damned town behind her for good. Pilar smiled a bit in spite of herself at her youthful impatience. She was gone a total of fourteen years. A long time, to be sure, but not nearly as long as for good, and when she returned to her hometown, the first friend she made was Ava Halloran.

She rapped lightly on the door, and a pretty young woman with blonde hair stuck her head out, looked first at Pilar and then at her squad car, then said over her shoulder, "Sophia, it's the sheriff … I think she's here about the 'quake' this morning." And yes, Pilar could actually hear the quotes when she spoke of the earthquake. The blonde girl continued with a friendly smile, "I'm Esther Drummond. C'mon inside," and held the door open for Pilar. The new(ish) sheriff stepped cautiously inside the house and came face to face with the matriarch of the family, Sophia Tregarth. Who, if the local gossips were to be believed, was frozen for more than thirty years. Looking at the other woman now, Pilar could believe it. Sophia Tregarth appeared no more than thirty-five or thirty-six (in other words, Pilar's own age), but if she was the mother of Priscilla, Octavia and Natalie (!), she was a lot closer to eighty than she was to thirty.

Her former classmate's mother smiled and held out a hand graciously, saying, "I'm Sophia Tregarth, and you've already met Esther. Welcome to our home, Sheriff Espinosa. I understand that you went to high school with my youngest daughter Natalie?" Pilar nodded a bit warily, because she wasn't expecting this kind of reception. Normally, when she came to the Tregarth home, it was to mad dashing about as the boys and their cousin got ready for whatever they had to get ready for. _Then again_, she admitted, _that was before the Miracle, and things have changed drastically_. Sophia continued, "Esther, sweetheart, can you go get Jack? I think he's still with Dr. Harper and my husband." The blonde girl bobbed her head and disappeared, leaving the two women alone. Sophia continued, "I'm sorry, I know this is all a bit strange for you, but I really think that my husband and our field team leader should be here … you are here on business, after all." It was on the tip of Pilar's tongue to ask first how she knew that (but the blonde girl Esther announced her as the sheriff), and then to make a comment about women being just as capable of discussing business as men, but something in the other woman's eyes kept her from potentially putting her foot in her mouth all the way up to her hip.

Instead, she inclined her head, leaning against the table as she looked around. The house was pretty much the same, although there seemed to be a war going on between tidiness and messiness. Pilar had three younger brothers, so she could make an educated guess at who was contributing to the messiness (the youngest Tregarth male, Lucas, was at the top of that list) and who was contributing to the tidiness (Sophia Tregarth herself). Not that Pilar had much room to talk … her office was spotless, while her bedroom was a mess. The woman asked curiously, "What was my daughter like as a teenager, Sheriff Espinosa? I've heard from Priscilla and Octavia, but they only saw her at home … not at school."

Pilar turned her attention back to her hostess with a small smile, saying, "I don't imagine she was much different at home than she was at school: usually very quiet. She didn't have that many friends. I mean, people liked her, but she didn't let that many people in. Quinn was one of the few exceptions. Those two were thicker than thieves." She ignored the pang that always accompanied thoughts of Quinn, because even after all these years, and even after everything they went through, there was a part of her that was still in love with him.

Sophia Tregarth nodded slowly, murmuring, "I've heard about Quinn … I haven't met him yet, but I've seen pictures of him from Natalie's yearbook. I didn't know until something was said last night at supper that you and Natalie went to high school together. My oldest mentioned once that she didn't know you very well … she said that Ava knew you much better. I found it a little odd, but Natalie explained that you two were in classes together and that was about it. Priscilla would have had no chance to get to know you before you left Dupres to join the Marines." Pilar felt her brows arch and Sophia gave a small shrug, adding, "I wanted to know who was protecting this town and its people, so I did some checking into you."

Checked into her? The hair on the back of Pilar's neck raised as she stared at the seemingly-young woman in front of her. Mrs. Tregarth merely smiled a little, saying, "Of course I did. I'm entrusting the safety of everyone I love to you. My husband … my daughters … my grandchildren … my best friend … Rex, Esther, and Owen. My entire world is within the walls of this house, and they routinely go into Dupres. I need to know about the sheriff and her deputies. I learned that you were in the Marines for several years, that you served two deployments in Afghanistan, and that you received an honorable discharge three and a half years ago. I also learned that one of the reasons you were elected as the sheriff was because of your actions when the 456 returned to Earth … the steps you took to help protect the children in this town. I must say, I was quite impressed."

The 456? The things that made the kids all speak in unison? Pilar answered slowly, "I just did what had to be done." Strangely enough, that comment only made the auburn-haired woman look sad. Pilar was on the verge of asking more questions, but it was then that Carlyon Tregarth entered the room, along with the most handsome man Pilar had ever seen. He was around six feet tall, with dark hair and extraordinary blue eyes, and he was, as Pilar's oldest niece would have said if she saw him, scary gorgeous. So, naturally, that made him terrifyingly dangerous. Pilar learned the hard way in school that males who were that good looking were the worst amount of trouble.

Trailing behind them was Natalie herself, who smiled a bit when she saw Pilar, saying, "Esther told me that you were here. It's good to see you again, Pilar." The sheriff nodded, summoning up a smile for her former classmate, and Natalie continued, "You remember my father, Carlyon Tregarth … even though we always thought he was my grandfather." That earned her a light swat to the back of her head from the man in question, his expression a combination of exasperated and affectionate. Nat just grinned up at him, and continued, "And this is Captain Jack Harkness, a friend of the family. Father, Jack, this is Sheriff Pilar Espinosa. I went to school with Pilar, Jack, and she served in the Marines for several years. She returned three and a half years ago … she was a big help when those illegal orders came down." Something dark flashed in the captain's bright blue eyes, but he offered her a brilliant, devastating smile anyhow.

She accepted the hand that was so graciously proffered, as the captain said, "A pleasure to meet you, Sheriff Espinosa. I _do_ appreciate a woman in uniform." The last sentence was all but purred, and Pilar could feel her legs starting to wobble. The worst part of it was, she had the uneasy sense that Jack Harkness hadn't turned on the charm full blast … if he could do this now, what would he be capable of when he was using every bit of charm he possessed? Definitely a dangerous man. Sophia Tregarth broke the spell with an indulgent smile.

"You also appreciate a man in uniform, Jack. I believe Sheriff Espinosa is here about the recent quake," the woman said. Man in uniform? Well, damn. There was no help for it, and Pilar reminded herself that she already put Jack Harkness in the dangerous category. And with Sophia's words, the man's expression changed, growing more serious and … and darker. A look passed between the three Tregarths and Captain Harkness, and the matriarch said, "Please, sit, Sheriff Espinosa. I think it's time you learned the rest of the story, what Ava Halloran has been carefully leading you toward."

Now a chill ran through Pilar's body as she looked at her four companions. Leading her toward? What, exactly, did that mean? However, before she had the chance to ask the question that had to be answered before anything else happened, her radio crackled and her least experienced deputy said, sounding more than a touch nervous, "Sheriff, this is Nathan. Uhm, I'm at the site of that accident, you know the one the call came in about before you headed out for your rounds?" Pilar did, indeed, know of the accident and she rolled her eyes, removing her radio from her belt and lifting it to her lips. She knew that Nathan was as green as grass, but this wasn't the first accident he handled.

"What is it, Nathan?" Pilar asked, trying very hard to keep the impatience out of her voice. It wasn't Nathan's fault, not really. He was only twenty and a part-time deputy until the Miracle. And even with the end of the Miracle, universities and community colleges were having a hard time starting up again. Up until about six months earlier, he'd been a part-time deputy, working when his classes allowed for it. And he was a hard-worker, one of the hardest-working deputies she had in the department. He was just … Nathan's next words drove all impatience and reminiscing out of Pilar's mind.

"There … there was a fatality, Sheriff … a woman in her late twenties or early thirties. She was dead, Sheriff, I checked her myself. No pulse, no respiration, nothing," Nathan said, sounding more than a little hysterical. A quick glance to the family in front of her (or part of the family) revealed that Natalie folded her arms over her chest, a thoughtful expression on her face, while her parents looked at each other with worried frowns, and Captain Jack Harkness … she couldn't quite decipher what was going on in the brain behind that impossibly gorgeous face.

She was on the point of trying to calm Nathan when he said, sounding terrified, "I checked her, Sheriff, she was dead! But she just got out of her car and started walking away, real jerky like. It wasn't like the start of the Miracle, either, when that bastard Danes came back to life … it wasn't like that at all, but Sheriff, she died and now she's walking away." Pilar closed her eyes, remembering exactly what Nathan meant. When she opened her eyes, however, she discovered that she wasn't the only one. Jack Harkness was actually ashen, and the expressions of the three Tregarths were absolutely grim.

She told her frightened, painfully young deputy, "Understood. We'll be there as soon as we can. And Nathan? I'm proud of you for not following her or trying to stop her." It wasn't the type of thing she would normally say, but when the dead began walking, it was generally a good idea to stay out of their way. She replaced the radio in her belt, turned her full attention to the four people in front of her and said briskly, "I'm going to guess that y'all want to come with me. I have no objection to that, my squad car has plenty of room. But I want answers. You may not know what's going on, exactly, but you know something."

"Agreed. It's time we brought you into our circle … perhaps even long past time," Carlyon Tregarth said in his sonorous voice, the one that always made Pilar wonder what he was like as a young man. And then the words sank in. Pilar led the four to her squad car (which was actually a Jeep Grand Cherokee), having the uneasy sense that whatever she was about to hear, she would need to be sitting down for. She just wished it wouldn't be necessary for her to be driving at the same time. _Best to get this over with, Pilar_, she told herself as she led her companions out to the Jeep, _there will be other work to be done once this is resolved_.

TBC


	7. Chapter 6: A Female Shaped Problem

Author's Notes: Well, I was wrong … we'll get back to Toni and Tosh in the next chapter, rather than in this chapter. For now, Suzie learns a few new interesting facts from Rassilon and acknowledges some truths about herself; we hear from Jason and Lucas, who behave as brothers do; Esther slips into Wendy-mode (as in Wendy and the lost boys); while Natalie and Pilar discuss the past and the present before Jack makes a horrifying revelation regarding the accident.

Chapter Six

A Female Shaped Problem

Colasanto Compound, Nevada

There really weren't many people for him to talk to, to converse with. Oh, he had conversations with others at the compound, but those were more of him listening than talking. Being from an advanced race and a lost planet didn't do much for conversation pieces, and so Rassilon returned to his son's caravan, where he would tinker (particularly with an old radio that Suzie found) and mull over the most recent reports from the SHIELD helicarrier and his agent there … who was taking entirely too much pleasure in tormenting Olivia Colasanto. Not that Rassilon blamed him there. Although, he did have to laugh the last time his agent reminded him that Olivia wasn't alone in her bad behavior. Oh, he knew that. And, as he assured his agent on the helicarrier, the other individual would pay as well … once there was enough rope to hang her. Rassilon didn't take kindly to betrayal. _Ever_.

As he worked, he mulled over what his agent told him about Colonel Fury (aka Director of SHIELD) and about Agent Phil Coulson, who was in fact the grandson of Angelo Colasanto. That was a most interesting revelation, and Rassilon had to wonder if Angelo's quest for immortality influenced his behavior toward his children and grandchildren. Angelo himself looked far younger than the one hundred plus Rassilon knew him to be when he died … closer to seventy-five or so. Agent Coulson had an unnerving ability to come through a crisis with barely even ruffled hair … even if he should have been badly injured. (For instance, there was the confrontation with Obadiah Stane, and there weren't words in any language, English or Gallifreyan, that would describe his opinion of the late Obadiah Stane.)

"What are you doing?" Suzie asked, entering the caravan. It was her customary greeting to Rassilon … which stood to reason, since he was usually tinkering. Besides, it seemed his tinkering was far more interesting to Suzie than his relationship to her former boss. That suited Rassilon, because he was still sorting himself out and why he had so few memories of his son's childhood. When he realized that his son was fostered to a couple on the Boeshane Peninsula for his own safety, his rage could have destroyed every building on the compound. Emphasis on '_could have_.' As it was, he was grateful that Suzie's questions were about what he was doing, rather than what Jack was like as a child. Probably not that different from how Jack was an adult, really: a hellion with a sweet nature and a big heart.

On this particularly, Rassilon answered somewhat absently, "Working on this radio. Unless I miss my guess, it was made right around the time Angelo Colasanto first met my son … which is little more than a set of heartbeats for a Time Lord, but is quite old for something made by humans. If I didn't know better, I'd think Jack started fixing it before he and the Tregarth ladies returned to Oklahoma, but it was too dusty for that. The intent is modifying it so that I can hear what's going on at the helicarrier. And what have you been doing, my dear, aside from terrorizing Liam Grady?"

"He hurt Jack," Suzie answered simply and Rassilon raised his head to look at her more fully. _Oh … really_? Would his current companion like to expound on that? Yes, she was atoning for what she had done, but the young woman _did _kill his son with a bullet to the head, and she did betray him. He was interested in hearing her clarification on this. Suzie flushed, muttering, "He hurt Jack because he was attracted to him. I've wanted to clout him a few times myself, but not because I was attracted to him. That's just stupid. Liam Grady is the stupidest smart man I've ever met, and I'm including both Jack and Owen in that." Rassilon nearly snorted at that, because both the now-alive doctor and his son could be quite foolish. However, he forgot one very pertinent thing about Suzie Costello. She had a terrifying ability to see things that she wasn't supposed to see. For the next words out of her mouth were, "Why did you bring Owen back from the dead? Why did you strand him in that other dimension?"

Rassilon nearly dropped the radio in shock. Suzie was leaning against the table, observing, "You told me that you brought me back … that one reason why you could bring me back was because I used that gauntlet … the twin of which was used to bring Owen back. You said that gauntlet was yours, which made me yours as well … that you were claiming me because of that gauntlet. That means that Owen is yours as well. Now, I've listened to you more than you realize and I know that you have some control of the Rift. Not enough to control the dreck we used to get in Cardiff, but enough that you were able to pull Owen into that other dimension. You forget what I heard in Natalie's head when I used her as a puppet. So the question is, why?"

"Why not?" Rassilon countered. Suzie blinked in astonishment, and Rassilon continued, "Why would I not save a young man who sacrificed himself so that others might live? Not happily, no. Not without complaining, but he did it nonetheless, because there was no one else to do it. It could be argued that I didn't save him at all, but damned him by placing him in another dimension where only he could save himself, where there was no one to, as you put it, 'watch his back,' much less any other part of him." He put his tools down and looked at her closely, adding, "But you don't see it that way, do you, Suzie Costello?"

"I don't. There are many ways to save someone, and I think you saved Owen by putting him in that other dimension, by forcing him to stand on his own, without help. Yes, Rassilon, you saved his life and you saved his soul. In truth, you forced him to grow, I think," Suzie replied. Rassilon inclined his head because, of course, that was part of his intention. The young woman continued, "And … you used some of the energy to widen the Rift? Or am I somewhat close?" Rassilon merely smiled and Suzie observed, "Ah, so I haven't earned that information yet. That's fine. I can wait."

"Perhaps it's not a matter of earning, but what your little ape mind can tolerate," Rassilon answered smartly and Suzie rolled her eyes. He almost laughed, once more understanding why the Doctor took human companions with him through his travels. If there was one thing he was growing to love about his own human companion(s), it was the joy he found in seeing things through their eyes. Suzie, especially … broken, damaged Suzie, who was far more whole than when his son first encountered her … she had a singular way of seeing things. She became a monster, and now sought redemption without becoming an angel. Rassilon liked that about her. He had little use for angels … Weeping or otherwise.

"I'll have to remind you of that the next time you find your son doing the horizontal mambo, as Natalie Tregarth puts it, in a semi-public place," Suzie retorted and it was Rassilon's turn to blush. Yes, Lord President Rassilon of Gallifrey actually blushed when he recalled the discovery of his son and Liam 'making out' in the garden. He blushed at the time as well, because just as there were some things no child wanted to know about his or her parents, there were things that no parent wanted to imagine about their child, and having intercourse was at the top of that list. Suzie continued, changing the subject (much to Rassilon's gratitude and relief), "Speaking of which, what did you think of the Tregarths?"

"I don't know them well enough to make a decision," was Rassilon's swift decision. Suzie just smirked and folded her arms over her chest with blatant amusement. Rassilon continued, "I did spend some time with Sophia Tregarth, having very enjoyable conversations, but I still don't know any of them well enough. What was your decision, after spending some time in Natalie Tregarth's mind? I'm particularly interested since she is technically my boss." Which she actually wasn't, but it pleased Rassilon to perpetrate that falsehood. You learned far more about people with falsehoods than with truth. It occurred to him that he was as much of a con artist as his son ever was, and that knowledge nearly made him laugh aloud.

"She's … strange. Oh, would you stop laughing at me! I'm just telling you what I saw before you helped me board up that barrier between our minds. She's sweet and bitter at the same time. There's darkness in her, a different sort of darkness than what I experienced, but darkness nonetheless. That's why I wouldn't let Liam Grady refer to her as pure or put her on a pedestal, because she isn't pure … unless you mean physically. And the guilt of what might have been is as strong as guilt for actual misdeeds," Suzie explained. Rassilon arched his brows at her and Suzie explained, "It's part of how I got her to check on Jack … a few weeks ago, an old enemy had Ailsa kidnapped. Evidently, the kidnappers didn't realize how resourceful Natalie was, because instead of betraying Jack and trading him for Ailsa, Natalie figured out a way to alert him to what was happening and they formed a plan to save Ailsa. She's been haunted by '_what might have been_' nightmares ever since."

Sophia mentioned some of this to him, not realizing, of course, that he was Jack's father. And, of course, she didn't tell him the whole story because so far as she knew, it wasn't any of his business. Which, of course, it was. However, he wouldn't hold her misconception against her. Besides, her daughter did the right thing in the end. And that was the part that he found interesting. Not just that she did the right thing, but that she continued to be troubled by the situation, even after its successful resolution. Rassilon murmured, "Intriguing. Her conscious mind knows that things worked out in the end, that she came up with a way to save her child and protect my son, but her conscience continues to trouble her. Is that why you chose her? Or was it simply her vulnerability as she slept?"

Suzie opened her mouth to reply, but then closed it as something occurred to her. Her dark head tilted to one side, and Rassilon watched with a bemused smile. He really did find it interesting to watch Suzie's mind work. As her mind cleared and she realized what a monster she became, Suzie's rage against the Families intensified, as if taking them down once and for all was a key to her redemption. Perhaps it was. At last, she replied, "I … some of it was her vulnerability as she slept. Her dreams were already haunted. Plus, I don't know if you've picked up on this, but she's a bit stubborn. I suppose … I was drawn by the idea of controlling someone as tenacious as she is when she's awake?"

Now she looked ashamed, just now realizing that she hadn't come as far as she thought she had, and Rassilon put his tools down quietly. Suzie was trembling, eyes darting about in terror, and the Time Lord rose to his feet, gently settling his hands on her shoulders. There was a tiny sob and Rassilon kissed the top of her head, murmuring, "And now you begin to realize, child. There's far more to redemption than an apology and a redirection of your energies. Power, and the trappings of power, are so very hard to leave behind … and even when we're trying to do good, that power can go awry. But not all is lost, little one." Suzie blinked back tears and looked up at him. Rassilon smiled at her tenderly and murmured, "You now see that for what it is … it has a name, and now you can fight it."

"I … I never thought of it like that. I'm taking back control, instead of thinking that I'm in control, when I'm really not," Suzie murmured, and Rassilon could see the cogs in her mind working. He smiled fondly, once more appreciating why the incarnations of the Doctor loved humanity so. In a way, it was like being a father again. He wondered what Suzie would say to that, and decided now was not the time for that. Instead, he pulled her into his arms for a comforting embrace, and much to his surprise (and pleasure), the young woman clung to him fiercely. Perhaps the time for him to tell her that he saw her as a daughter would be at hand sooner than he originally thought.

"Very good, my dear girl," he murmured into her dark hair, "you're learning." Suzie squeezed him again … the youngling had no respect for the dignity of Lord President of Gallifrey, no respect whatsoever, and Rassilon realized quite happily that he wouldn't want it any other way. He loved his son already, but he was quickly falling in love with humanity and thanked the stars that Theta-Ten found the backbone to choose humanity over the Time Lords. He had his doubts, especially after that horrific Year his poor son endured, but in the end, Theta-Ten did the right thing … for the entire universe. He would still be having a conversation with Theta-Eleven, who showed great promise.

After a moment, she pulled away, and Rassilon discovered that he missed her warmth, not that he would ever admit it. She wiped at her eyes, and asked thoughtfully, "Why do you think Natalie is fighting her attraction to Jack so much? While I was in her mind, that was the first thing I noticed … I don't know quite how to describe what I saw, but the best way I can think of is, her heart was a dark purple color, with quite a few scars on it, and there was a glass box around it. And her attraction to Jack was nearly as intense and as fierce as her love for Ailsa is. Why does that frighten her so? Why won't she act on it?"

"Terror. Sheer, unadulterated terror," Rassilon answered succinctly. Suzie frowned, and Rassilon elaborated, "She isn't just afraid of being rejected … she's afraid that Jack would welcome her attentions and what might come of that. In all of her life, she has never responded so fiercely to anyone, man or woman, and it terrifies her … just as it terrified Liam Grady. The only difference is, she would never deliberately hurt my son. I did qualify that with a 'deliberately,' dear child."

"Because she _did _hurt him while I was inside her mind, before I realized how to put a shield between us," Suzie murmured and Rassilon inclined his head. That was his understanding. His ability to reach his son was limited, but it was likely that Natalie did hurt him in some way. Suzie shook her head, muttering, "She needs to shag him and get it out of her system." Rassilon barely bit back a snort and Suzie exclaimed, "Well, she does … shag him, snog him … whatever it takes!" She still didn't understand.

"But what if a snog or a shag, as you put it, doesn't work? What if they do sleep together, and rather than satiating her, intensifies her desires? Few things are that simple when you speak of emotions, whether it's human emotions or Time Lords. The child's emotions and desires are a tangled mess, and you shouldn't assume that having her way with Jack would untangle those knots. Oh, they'd both quite enjoy it, but there's more to it than that. Besides. No matter how much she wants to … and I've seen it in her eyes … Natalie isn't ready to bed my son. She has too many trust issues, and can we please drop the subject? I really have _no_ interest in discussing my youngest child's sex life."

Suzie's lips rounded into a rather comical 'o' and her eyes were equally wide. Her mouth opened and closed repeatedly, and Rassilon smirked a bit at her obvious surprise. At last, she mumbled, "I forgot that Jack is your baby. So he has a lot of big brothers and sisters?" In past conversations, he acknowledged that he regarded the Time Lords and Ladies still in the Time Lock as his children … which did mean that he had many siblings, in a roundabout way. That would be something else he needed to bring up with Theta-Eleven when next they met. Rassilon smirked, because he couldn't wait to see Eleven's expression when he learned that for all intents and purposes, Jack was his little brother. He would, of course, remember being Nine … and Jack kissing him before he died the first time. The anticipation of seeing Eleven's reaction to his little brother kissing him would keep him laughing for days, no doubt.

"Many older brothers and sisters," Rassilon acknowledged placidly. Including the one who spent a year torturing him, and oh yes, he still needed to have a talk with Koschei about that. He knew that he was partly responsible for what Koschei did to Jack, but still. They needed to have a _very_ long conversation about that. But that could wait. Instead, he continued in that placid tone, "He's only met two of them, and I suspect that would be enough."

Suzie bit her lip, and Rassilon could just see the girl wanting to ask a question. But in the end, she said only, "Well, family can be a pain in the arse." Rassilon nearly laughed outright … they could, indeed … but held his tongue. Suzie continued after a moment, "So. Show me what you're working on? Because if this involves the SHIELD helicarrier and tormenting Olivia Colasanto some more, I am SO there." Now Rassilon did laugh, because while Suzie was atoning, she hadn't lost her taste for causing mayhem … and that wasn't necessarily a bad thing.

TWTWTWTWTW

"Okay, who was that?"

Jason Tregarth looked up with a small smile as the sheriff's Jeep roared away. Ahh, so it was that time, was it? His younger brother glowered at him, repeating, "Who … was … that? And why did Grandfather, Mama Sophia, Jack and Natalie go with her?" Jason backed away from Jack's ATV, wiping his hands on the handiest rag. Jack could fix his own ATV, something Jason knew well, so when Jack asked the former soldier to check a few things, the young man took it for the compliment it was. It was as much a declaration of trust as a request.

"That was Sheriff Pilar Espinosa. You probably didn't recognize her in her uniform," Jason drawled as he circled the ATV to make sure there were no more spots he needed to clean. There was a distinct choking sound … kinda like the sound his younger brother made when he was trying to avoid swallowing his tongue. A quick glance toward Lucas told him that was, indeed, the case, and Jason rolled his eyes as he continued, "Don't be such a dumb-ass, Luc, I meant that you were probably used to seeing her in civilian clothes."

"Don't call me a dumbass, dumb-ass," Lucas replied automatically and Jason rolled his eyes. Lucas continued, "Have we seen her before?" Jason smirked a little … what kind of older brother would he be if he didn't tease his little brother? Besides, it had been a while since Lucas even looked at someone with interest. Jason nodded to himself in satisfaction. Jack would check it when he got back, but the young man was ninety-nine percent sure that it was as clean as it could be without a proper wash with soap and water.

"She was one of Natalie's classmates. I don't think we saw her while we were growing up, she and Nat weren't that close. She _is _pretty," Jason acknowledged. They were in the stone stable, the one that was used as a shelter during the messes with the children and the over-sized pepper shakers. It was used currently as a workshop … and sometimes their mother's love nest with Rex Matheson, and oh, didn't he need brain bleach after having that thought? However, with more of the new Hub being used, their mother had taken to leading Rex down into the new Torchwood base to … christen various parts of it. Oh yeah. Definitely needed brain bleach. Was it Rex Matheson only who stirred up his mother's libido or was Jack (Mr. Sex On Legs himself) stirring things up as well? _Yech, brain bleach now, stop thinking about this __**now**_!

Lucas was either completely oblivious or simply ignoring him … and that could go either way … observing, "No. I've seen her somewhere before." Jason would have face-palmed, but he was busy wheeling the ATV out of the stables and into the yard. Besides, there was still grease on his hands, and not the kind of grease that tasted good. Lucas mused aloud, "Now, where could that have been?" Jason shook his head and let his little brother ramble. Besides, he'd get him back later, when Lucas was least expecting it.

"Where have you seen who?" Esther inquired as she ambled out of the house, thumbs tugging at the loops of her jeans. She smiled at them both, observing, "Looks good, Jason … Jack and I will enjoy trying it out when he comes back." When he … _oh_. Oh crap, he really didn't need that image in his head. It was almost as bad as imagining his mother and Matheson doing things he really didn't want to be seeing. Evidently, that was visible on his face, because a pinch brought him back to the here and now, and Esther wore an expression that was somewhere between amused and exasperated as she added, "We'll be riding the ATV together, Jason … we won't be riding each other." Lucas burst into laughter and Jason felt his face burning with embarrassment.

"Hahaha, very funny. It's all your boyfriend's fault, you know. I never used to have this problem," Jason grumped as Esther patted his cheek gently. And it was true. He sighed and explained, "Sheriff Pilar Espinosa, who just left out of here with my grandparents, aunt, and your boyfriend. Lucas is trying to figure out where he's seen her before." Esther's brows arched, and a suppressed smile threatened to break free. Jason wondered if it was even remotely possible for him to embarrass himself even worse than he already did. And then he realized that was an incredibly stupid question, because why yes, of course it was. It was _always_ possible for him to make a bigger idiot out of himself.

"Well, we can eliminate the recent dance … the one after Owen came through the Rift and after we got Ailsa got back … because Lucas wasn't there. Your grandmother said something about her coming back … is it possible that you saw her when the 456 showed up a few years ago, or even during the Miracle? Something was said about her helping out during both of those messes," Esther pointed out quite logically. As a general rule, they didn't talk about the 456 when Jack was around. Not because of his reaction, but because of their grandfather's. Even if Jack (and Mama Sophia) forgave him, Grandfather still had yet to forgive himself.

"Mmm. It could have been the Miracle or the 456. It's hard to say, but I know I've seen her somewhere, sometime," Lucas murmured, completely ignoring everything else Esther and Jason were saying. Esther was biting back a smile and Jason rolled his eyes. Their grandfather always said that Natalie was stubborn, but Lucas had a one-track mind. And every time he forgot that, his little brother was kind enough to remind him. On the other hand, with his obvious fascination with Pilar Espinosa, Lucas also gave him plenty of material for teasing and blackmail. A sidelong glance at Esther told him that she came to the same conclusion.

"Well, regardless, she's gone with your grandparents, Natalie and Jack to the site of a car accident. Something weird is going on, and since Torchwood in general deals with weird, the sheriff came here first. I'm pretty sure that whatever happened with this car accident, it involves the weird earthquake this morning," Esther replied. Jason shuddered. Yeah, that was more than a little weird. Lucas was hiding (lucky brat) before Jack and Natalie worked things out. Not that he really blamed his brother: their youngest aunt was terrifying when she got that quiet.

"Why didn't you go with them?" Jason questioned and Esther turned to him with a questioning look. The former soldier observed, "Well, you were here when Sheriff Espinosa showed up, so why didn't you go with the others?" Judging from the smile that teased her lips, Jason had a sinking feeling that he just walked right into a … well, not a trap, but he had the distinct feeling that he would regret asking that question. While Esther was a gentle person at heart, she developed a wicked sense of humor while she was caring for Jack after he was shot.

"Well, for one thing, I hadn't actually finished my breakfast. For another thing, there wasn't enough room for a fifth person …. although it may have been fun to squish up against Jack in the car. And finally, I promised him that I'd check with you when you were finished with his ATV," Esther answered. Jason's cheeks were burning by the end of her second sentence, and he had a terrifying feeling that if he pressed her for details, his entire face would be on fire at her answer. The blonde smirked a little, adding, "And now that I have, so I'll have to let Jack know that the next step is … testing it." Or even if he didn't press her details. Jason face-palmed, Lucas just laughed out right, and Esther grinned.

"You're a very bad girl, Esther Drummond … a very, _very_ bad girl," Lucas snickered and Esther merely shrugged, looking supremely unconcerned. At least she wasn't turning into an incorrigible flirt like Jack. Jason knew that his grandmother was worried about her old friend, because he didn't flirt the way he used to. Mama Sophia observed more than once that his heart wasn't really in it. Grandfather admonished her, saying that Jack's natural personality would return when he was ready, when he was more healed. Mama Sophia simply shook her head, murmuring that there was more to this than the deaths of his lover and his grandson, more to this than the loss of his daughter. She was truly worried about Jack, but Grandfather wasn't. Well, at least no more than usual.

"To quote that animated philosopher, Jessica Rabbit, '_I'm not bad, I'm just drawn that way_,' Lucas," Esther retorted. Lucas blinked, mouthing, 'what?' He looked over at Jason, who felt nearly as lost as Lucas looked, and Esther sighed, "Seriously, guys, you never watched '_Who Framed Roger Rabbit_' while you were growing up? I need to find a copy, your education has been badly neglected." The brothers exchanged a look, and then looked back at Esther once more, who succumbed to her desire to face-palm. After a moment, she raised her head, cleared her throat and said, "Okay. '_Who Framed Roger Rabbit_?' was a movie that came out in 1988, a mixture of live action and animation. It was about this private detective investigating a murder in Toon Town, where all cartoon characters lived."

"Well, that explains a lot," Jason murmured. Esther looked at him questioningly and Jason explained, "Mom and Dad refused to watch anything that had to do with cops or private detectives or anything like that, even comedies. Said they got enough of that at work. And the few times they did try to watch those programs or movies, Mom would end up yelling at the tv for getting it wrong, and Dad had to calm her down." Esther frowned and Jason elaborated, "That was about the time we little kiddies were sent to bed, because otherwise, the X-rated stuff would have been happening right in front of us." Esther's mouth rounded into an 'o' as she nodded her understanding. Jason hoped that was the end of it, but he misjudged Esther. Again. She looked at the ATV, and then looked at Jason and Lucas with a speculative eye. Jason shivered, because as hot as Esther was, he liked his working bits where they were, and he didn't know how possessive Jack was.

However, he was worrying for nothing, as it turned out. Esther stated, "The test can wait until later, and will take maybe thirty seconds. We're going to see if either of your aunts or your cousin, or someone in this house, has a copy of '_Who Framed Roger Rabbit_?' so we can watch it. VCR tape or DVD, doesn't matter. Jack and the others will be gone for a while, and poor Owen is still waiting for the results of those tests he ran. I can monitor the incoming leads from my laptop. We're going to watch a movie, boys!"

And that was that.

TWTWTWTWTWTWTW

"So … when was the last time you talked to Quinn?"

Natalie offered her former classmate a small smile as they walked side by side from the Cherokee to Pilar's clearly-nervous young deputy, answering, "Just this morning, actually. He called while I was working at the building we're turning into a shelter for veterans. Apparently, he's gotten sick of the big city and returning to his parents' old place. I reminded him of just how cold Oklahoma can get in the winter … even though we had a mild winter this year … and he agreed, but reminded me that here, his closest neighbor is a mile away, rather than literally right on top of him. Couldn't argue that point."

Pilar snorted in amusement, and just as Natalie suspected, her next question was, "Is he bringing anyone with him? I mean, is he involved with anyone right now?" Natalie couldn't tell if she was asking out of simple curiosity or if she was hopeful that she would have a chance with their friend. Quinn was one of the few things/people they had in common while they were growing up. Natalie didn't answer at first, her eyes drifting ahead to Jack who was listening intently to something her mother was saying. She wondered what he and Quinn would make of each other, and then shuddered. That would be an interesting meeting.

At last, she told Pilar, "He is involved with someone new, has been for about six months or so. From what Quinn told me, they met at the end of Miracle Day. I'm sorry, Pilar." The other woman was very careful about hiding her response, but Natalie was fairly certain that the new sheriff looked disappointed. After a moment, she continued, "Quinn didn't tell me what his name is, just that he would be following Quinn once things were settled in New York City. And weirdly enough, he didn't want to talk about this new guy. He was more interested in hearing about my family and how we survived the Miracle and all the other recent disasters."

"Well, you _were_ his best friend in high school and college," Pilar pointed out. Natalie shrugged. That was true, but this was the first time Quinn ever held back from telling her about his current. Pilar added, "Natalie, he may not be ready to talk about the new guy. It may be too new. Besides, you get sick of living inside your own headspace after a while. He's lived with himself the last few months … he probably was sick of himself, and wanted to hear about you, how the town and the community handled the Atrocity."

Natalie offered her former classmate a smile at this far more appropriate name for the recent events. It was an Atrocity … not a Miracle, not a Blessing, but an Atrocity. She replied as they drew closer to Jack and her parents, the former of whom was putting Nathan at ease in his usual characteristic Jack way, "I hadn't thought of it that way, Lari, but I see your point." Pilar smiled at this reminder of their teenage years, when they were trying out nicknames. There were few ways that Pilar could be shortened, and 'Lari' was the only appealing nickname that anyone could come up with.

"God, I haven't been called that in years! That nickname never caught on while I was in the Marines. And just what is that man doing to my poor deputy?" Pilar added, sounding somewhere between indignant and amused. Natalie snickered a little as she watched Jack flirt outrageously with the young man. He was flustered now, because of the way Jack was smiling at him, but, she noticed, he was answering the questions Jack posed to him about what he saw. Natalie's own parents, she noticed, left them alone and were conducting the investigation with the others who were involved in the accident. There were just a few, really … a truck driver who was transporting a whole passel of cars, and a few others. However, as was almost always the case, in an endurance test between a little car and a semi, the semi won hands-down.

"He's distracting your deputy from the horror he saw by giving him something else to focus on. That's Jack. And it's working … yeah, Nathan's getting indignant, just as you are, but he's not shaking as badly and he's answering Jack's questions. Little piece of advice, though. Don't assume because he's a total flirt that he's an idiot. He's playful and he's mischievous … he's played some hilarious pranks on my two nephews … but don't piss him off. He's a lot more dangerous than he seems to be right now," Natalie answered. She realized that she was more right than she knew when Jack raised his head to look at her, his handsome face appearing very grim indeed. She asked, "What is it?"

"A problem. A female-shaped problem. Carlyon is running the tags now with a contact he has, but according to this handsome young man's description and the identification left in the car after the accident … well, what's left of the car, at least. Natalie, it seems likely that it was Sarah Drummond," Jack told her. Natalie blinked at him, first only concentrating on the name: Sarah? Esther's older sister Sarah? And then it hit her. Sarah was dead, and now Alys and Melanie were truly orphans. But that wasn't the worst part. Nathan told Pilar that the woman who was killed … oh hell.

"Sarah's the walking dead woman. Oh, God, _Esther_," she breathed and Jack nodded, his usual smile replaced with obvious worry. Natalie continued, ice filling her veins at the thought of what was now facing her best friend, "Do we know what Sarah was doing here? I mean, she didn't fight more than you would expect when she lost custody of the girls? Was she coming back here to get them?" Or was there something even more sinister at work?

"I don't know. Your dad knows something, though. I know nearly all of Carlyon's expressions, including ones you'd not care to hear about, and he knows _something_," Jack replied grimly. Natalie bit her lip, and Jack put his arm around her shoulder … a protective, comforting gesture, and for once, Natalie wouldn't deny herself that pleasure. Nathan was staring at them both with wide eyes, as if trying to figure out what just happened. His indignation over Jack's flirting gave way to confusion and the old nervousness.

Pilar, as ever, cut through the bull and observed, "So, the supposed dead woman is the sister of that young blonde girl … I'm guessing that she's also the mother of those two little girls who have been living with the Hallorans for the last several months?" Natalie bobbed her head, moving further into Jack's embrace, because there was something poking at the edges of her mind. A memory of something she read in the Torchwood files while she was putting things together, before Ailsa was kidnapped. This wasn't like the ghost shift that was a prelude to Torchwood One's fall. No, this was something else, and she couldn't quite put her finger on it.

"One and the same. There was the Rift quake … and now this. Nat, I think I know what's going on. It's happened before, about the same time I arrived in Cardiff the first time," Jack said quietly. Ohhhh, Natalie was afraid he was going to say that. He continued, all trace of playfulness now gone, "We need to get back to the house, and above all, our top priority is now keeping Esther safe. I think it's time we got that friend of Nicky's, too. We'll discuss how to deal with her parents along the way, but we'll need her."

"You let me worry about Toni Weber," Pilar interrupted. Both Natalie and Jack looked at her, and the young sheriff explained with a tiny smile, "After the two mean girls disappeared, I sort of became Toni's Big Sister. You tell me what's going on when the dead walk, and I'll make sure that Toni becomes part of this investigation. Deal?" Natalie nearly giggled when Pilar tried to swallow her tongue … Jack obviously used his most charming smile on her, because the other woman spent several minutes trying to get her mind to reboot. And then her smile died away. Sarah was dead and undead and walking. Esther might be in danger. There was a lot of work to do. A female-shaped problem, indeed … and one that would get much bigger!

TBC


	8. Ch 7: With Power Comes Responsibility

Author's Notes: I freely admit it. I was disgusted with Tosh, Owen and Gwen after '_Small Worlds_,' and I have absolutely no problem at all with saying so. However, Toni's reaction to their behavior didn't come from me. It was inspired by my then-sixteen year old co-worker when I explained to her about the episode in question. And I'm sorry to leave you hanging about the conversation between Tosh and Jack, but I need a little more time to think about how it will go. I have two avenues open to me, and I need to work out which would work best for this story. In this chapter, we have a conversation between Jack, Natalie, Pilar and Sophia on the way to Toni's house; Tosh gets a surprise from her young companion; while Rassilon begins putting plans into motion that will forever change his world and the Earth as a whole. Also, with regards to the next few stories, there has been another change: first, the next story will be '_Prime and Prince_,' in which Jack and Rassilon come face to face as father and son (and a few other things will be happening, including the return of another lost Torchwood agent … no, it's not Gwen). Secondly, the _Torchwood_/_Avengers_ story will be after '_Prime and Prince_,' and it's undergoing a name change. Originally, it was '_The Two Captains_,' since it focuses mainly on Jack and Steve. However, I came across another story by that name about Jack and Steve, so I need to find a new name. Onward and upward, my dears!

Chapter Seven

With Power Comes Responsibility

Life had become interesting in the last several months. Admittedly, that was something of an understatement. For instance, only this morning, she was working at what would become the veteran's home in town, getting upset over a perceived slight (and she was still embarrassed by that. She was a grown woman, for God's sake!). Earlier in the afternoon, she and the source of that perceived slight were mending fences beside an actual fence, right before an 'earthquake' hit. And now? Well, now she was heading for a teenage girl's house with a high school classmate and sharing what little she knew of a mutual friend's new significant other with the aforementioned classmate. She could only shake her head with amusement. Life was always interesting in Torchwood … and if Jack happened to be in the same zip code, it was even more interesting. Fortunately, though, he wasn't the topic of the conversation … especially since he was sitting in the front seat, where he could clearly hear conversations between Pilar and Natalie. Never mind that he already knew she was wildly attracted to him, that wasn't the point. There were some things she didn't _want _him to know.

And Pilar … Pilar was Pilar. In some ways, she was the same girl whom Natalie knew in high school, and in some ways, she was a wholly different creature. Just as Natalie herself was, the youngest Tregarth daughter realized with a wry twist of her lips. A few things remained true, however: they both still loved Quinn, and once more, they were both fascinated by the same man. Or, if you wanted to get technical … obsessed. However, Natalie was developing the same distaste her mother had for technicalities. As Sophia liked to tell Rex when she became annoyed with him, '_technicalities get people killed_.' There was at least one fatality in the current case … because there was no doubt now in her mind (or the minds of the others) that the 'earthquake' fell into Torchwood business. And that one fatality was very important indeed, because the woman in question was her best friend's sister.

Jack already said that he would be the one to tell Esther when they returned to the homestead, murmuring that it was the least he owed her. When pressed on the issue, Jack reminded Natalie's father that Esther spent two months taking care of him, fretting all the time about the safety of her sister and nieces, thanks to Sarah Drummond's decision to put herself and the two girls on the waiting list for Category Zero. Alys and Melanie were safe now, but Sarah was dead, and it was Jack's responsibility to tell Esther about her sister's death. Natalie kept carefully out of that conversation.

At last, Pilar murmured, "So, what's the story?" Natalie raised her eyebrows questioningly at her former classmate, who elaborated, "With Captain Harkness there. I know a little bit, but as Mrs. Whitfield always used to tell us, just enough to get myself into trouble." Natalie barely bit back a snort, remembering their senior English teacher's favorite saying. Pilar's dark eyes twinkled with amusement, observing, "Yeah, I thought you'd remember that. So, I know that he's not from around here, despite his accent … I know that he's a helluva lot more resilient than most people are, and I know that he's much older than he appears."

"Well, I think you hit all the major points," Natalie observed. Pilar glared at her, and Nat added, "Look, there are some stories that aren't for me to tell. Anything having to do with Jack tops the list. That information will be shared when Jack feels ready to share it with you." Pilar merely stared at her and Natalie returned the stare coolly, adding, "And yes, before you even think about asking the question … even if it were Quinn asking, the answer would be the same. Jack keeps his secrets for a reason. I almost betrayed him once. I won't do it again."

"There is no such thing as 'almost-betrayal,' Natalie Sophia. What happened with the Pharm doesn't qualify as a betrayal, you figured out a way to warn me. I've told you that before," Jack said from the front seat. Pilar blinked in evident astonishment, especially when Natalie stuck her tongue out at the back of Jack's head. Her bemusement gave way to amusement when Jack added, "I've warned you what I could do with that tongue if you stuck it out again." And true to form, that came out sounding sensuous. Damn the man. Even his threats were sexy.

"Now, now, children, don't make me separate you," Natalie's mother mock-threatened. Pilar snickered at that, and Sophia continued, "Honestly, they act just like children sometimes. Then again, the same is true for the rest of my family, so I suppose I really can't blame them." Pilar's snickers turned into full-fledged laughter. Jack tipped his head back until he was looking at Natalie in the rearview mirror, a question in his eyes. She nodded, ever so slightly, and Jack allowed himself a tiny smile. To Natalie's amusement, her mother actually looked a bit worried.

Natalie's father cleared his throat and said, "So, Sheriff Espinosa, what can we expect when we reach this young lady's home? More to the point, how do you plan to handle her parents?" Oh. That was a very good question. She turned her attention to her former classmate, who might have had the classic '_deer in the headlights_' look at such a conversation and being put on the spot in high school … but they weren't in high school any more. And after a stint in the Marines, it was _highly_ unlikely that Pilar would have any issues with whatever Nat's father threw her way. Rephrase … it was unlikely that Pilar would be unable to handle anything that her father threw her way. Yes. That was much better.

"As much as the truth as I can get away with, Mr. Tregarth. It's never a good idea to lie to the parents of a teenager, particularly not when you're the sheriff and it's an even worse idea when you're their daughter's Big Sister. They need to know that Toni isn't in trouble and hasn't done anything wrong, but she may well hold the key to breaking a case," Pilar answered. Natalie bobbed her head … not bad. Telling the truth, and yet not telling the whole truth. There might have been a time when Natalie believed in the old adage, '_the truth will set you free_,' but after having her world rocked repeatedly in the last six months, she still wasn't entirely sure of that. Besides, she had only to think about what she was told about the night the Miracle was conceived. The truth didn't set Jack free. It only hurt him more.

"That will do, I think … it will do quite nicely," Natalie's father answered, inclining his head. The corners of Pilar's mouth quirked and she murmured almost under her breath, '_so glad you approve_.' Nat's father didn't hear (or didn't react), but Natalie certainly did. She exchanged a small smile with Pilar before settling back into her seat. Another glance at Jack told her that he heard Pilar's comment as well, and he was smirking a little. Natalie's father sighed, "Stop it, Jack." Another glance into the rearview mirror showed a small, mock-pout from the immortal, but his blue eyes were twinkling with laughter. Natalie just shook her head. Best to stay out of this conversation. Evidently, Pilar agreed with her, because she changed the subject to other former classmates she encountered recently. One thing about Dupres: there was never a shortage of people they went to school with returning to the old stomping grounds. Natalie's wry smile turned sour. With this economy, more and more people were returning to their childhood homes. Not necessarily a bad thing, but it was yet another strike against the Families … and they just kept giving her more and more reasons to hate them.

TWTWTWTWTWTWTWTWTW

He was coming.

Jack was coming.

She didn't know how she knew that, but she knew it. There were a lot of things that she knew now, and wasn't sure how she knew. And really, Tosh wasn't sure if it even mattered at this point. What mattered was that the Gelfth were back and intent on causing trouble … and that Jack was just as determined to stop them. Of course he was. He wouldn't be Jack otherwise. But what troubled Tosh now was what would happen when she came face to face (sort of) with him. More to the point, what would she say to him? She knew Jack well enough to realize that he probably blamed himself for her death, and it wasn't his fault.

What she would say to Jack was one issue … what Toni would say was another. Tosh winced a bit, remembering how she learned that particular lesson. Earlier, the girl needed to be settled down after the Gelfth took her over. It was then that Tosh made the mistake of telling Toni about some of the cases she encountered while at Torchwood … including the Pierce case. She even acknowledged how the three field agents behaved in the wake of the choice Jack found it necessary to make. One would have expected that Toni would side with Tosh, Owen and Gwen, given her age and the way teenagers tended to see the world. One would have also been wrong. Toni stared at her in shock, before exploding in fury … at Tosh. How could they do that, how could they behave in such a way? She didn't think Tosh could be so mean! If she had a corporeal body, Tosh would have stumbled back in pure shock. So much for knowing how a teenager's mind worked.

It took her several minutes to calm Toni down. Somehow, this sixteen year old child realized immediately what three 'adults' failed to comprehend. Against creatures that could control the very elements, there was very little that _could_ be done. If Jasmine Pierce was unwilling to go with the Mara, Jack would have stood against them, between the Mara and the little girl. But she was willing. And for some reason, those creatures were prepared to murder every human being on the planet to get their Chosen One. Tosh's ears (if she had them) would still be ringing from the telling-off she'd received from the young girl. And now, she was concerned that Toni would bring that less-than-stellar memory up for Jack. While she misjudged the way the girl would react to Jasmine Pierce's fate, she didn't think she misjudged how her companion would react to meeting Jack. She would likely blurt out something about the little girl, and that was a distraction they didn't need.

For that reason, she said quietly, "Jack is coming." Toni looked up from what she was doing … it looked like she was conducting research on the internet, although Tosh couldn't tell what kind of research that was … and the tech genius continued, "He'll be shortly, although I couldn't tell you exactly when that will be. If Jack's driving, it will be very shortly. They'll want to talk to you and I need to explain what Jack will be asking. He doesn't believe in the afterlife, so convincing him that I'm real will be difficult."

Actually, given what she knew of him, it would be damn near impossible. According to Jack, there was nothing after death (something that Owen corroborated and Suzie inferred), nothing aside from a terrible darkness, and yet, here she was. Or rather, her soul was here. Mind, she didn't remember anything she saw (or didn't see) before her spirit was drawn back here, but nevertheless, she was here now. Toni observed, "Toshiko, I've been dealing with this situation since you first showed up, and I don't believe it half the time … I don't care what you dealt with in Torchwood on a regular basis, this is just mind-bending!" Tosh just barely managed to swallow her laughter, because really, 'mind-bending' was a nice way to put it. Then again, Toni wasn't inclined to salty language, even if Tosh found herself on the wrong side of her temper.

After a long moment, Toni asked hesitantly, "Is there anything else I should know about him?" It never occurred to Tosh to tell the girl about Jack's immortality. Perhaps because it wasn't her story to tell, perhaps it was because the youngster probably would have reacted badly to the revelation that Jack died and returned to life, or perhaps she would have asked Tosh how she first found out about that … and perhaps she didn't tell the girl because it simply wasn't any of her business. Jack kept his secrets for a reason, and she would honor that. If Toni found out by accident (as Tosh did), that was one thing … but Tosh wouldn't tell her.

Tosh finally answered, "Nothing that comes immediately to mind. Although, I should probably warn you that he's _very_ handsome." Toni looked quite unimpressed, and Tosh barely managed to hide a smile. While it seemed some individuals were impervious to Jack's (considerable) charm, they were few and far between. Tosh had little doubt that Toni would fall under Jack's spell, just as so many others did. However, she changed the subject, telling the girl about Owen, even though he wasn't with their captain right now. It gave her the chance to tell Toni about the man she'd loved, and it gave her time to think.

Jack was coming. And she had no idea what to say to him.

TWTWTWTWTWTW

Rassilon spent thousands of years asleep, waking only during the Time Scoop disaster, the one that brought most of the incarnations of the Doctor back to Gallifrey and again during the Time War. However, one thing that always delighted him was the unexpected. He was a Time Lord, he saw all the timelines … but there was always the possibility of the unexpected. During his third week at the Colasanto compound, Rassilon found himself in the servants' quarters during a _Lord of the Rings_ movie marathon. He learned that they were based on a series of books by an English gentleman named 'J.R.R. Tolkien' and despite himself, found himself thoroughly enthralled. Humanity was so young, but they were growing … and the Time Lords, Rassilon knew, became stagnant.

In any event, he watched all three movies with his young counterparts, asking questions while the DVD's were being changed and absorbing the information. Yes, he was a Time Lord and yes, he could see all timelines, but what good was that if you didn't grow and change and learn? What seemed to be so incredibly insignificant that it wasn't worth bothering with (such as a Hobbit or the Hobbits in general), became far more important than anyone could have guessed. Thus, Rassilon wasn't entirely surprised when the Gelfth made the mistakes of a) taking over Sarah Drummond's body after she was killed in that accident and b) taking over Toni Weber's body. That child was far more than what she appeared, and the Gelfth made the exact same mistake with her that they made with Gwyneth in the nineteenth century. Honestly. Did they _never l_earn? Evidently not, but that was fine … they'd learn this time.

Whatever pity Rassilon may have felt for his son's current opponents was gone. He was in the Time Lock when Nine faced the Gelfth the first time, but that didn't mean he was unaware of what was going on. Of course he was aware, just as young Ianto Jones and Gwyneth reborn was aware of what was happening in the outside world. They weren't unaware, they simply couldn't be affected by it … or affect what was happening outside. And Rassilon wasn't nearly as helpless as they were, either. He was aware of everything that was happening to his lost children … to Jack, to Theta-Nine, and to Koschei. He was aware. He knew. And he remembered.

Now, he was watching the current timeline folding with interest. When the Gelfth exploited the new Rift in Oklahoma, they didn't come back alone. Toshiko Sato's return, however ghostly, wasn't Rassilon's doing. That didn't mean that he wouldn't use to his (and his son's) advantage. And everything that he needed was right here, on this compound. A possibility occurred to him, and he frowned, searching the past for what he needed. Ahh. Ahh, there was something. It was a tenuous link, but it was a link all the same.

"You," a familiar voice said, "are a very devious man." Rassilon smiled and turned to face his agent, who just returned from SHIELD's helicarrier and tormenting Olivia Colasanto. The other man returned his smile, adding, "Not that this is necessarily a bad thing, but I've learned to interpret your silences, and that one doesn't bode well for your son's current antagonist. You have something in mind, my Lord, something that won't drive the Gelfth off or keep them from returning, but something that will impact your son's life."

"Of course I do," he returned, "I always have things in mind to impact my son's life. I was forced to let him go, for his own safety, but I'm back now. Search the timelines regarding the Gauntlets that were lost to us for so long … specifically the ones involving my son's team." There was a long silence, and then the other man stared at him with shock … and just a little admiration. Rassilon merely smiled, saying, "Yes. The Gauntlet ties all of them to me, as does Jack. That is how I returned Suzie Costello to life and placed Owen Harper in the other dimension. It will be how I return Toshiko Sato to her place in this world."

His agent looked a little worried, and Rassilon continued, "To quote Lady Galadriel, let not your heart be afraid. I have no intention of harming anyone, including you. Well, that isn't entirely accurate. I do have some rather unpleasant plans for the Gelfth, but only because they have sought twice now to harm a planet under my protection. Jack and his team will proceed as they must, they will defeat the Gelfth, but when the time is right, I will put my own plans in place. Everything I have done from the moment of my son's conception was for his benefit and the benefit of those whom he loved, those for whom he would die."

There was a long silence as his agent considered this, and then the other man said softly, "I cannot imagine that sort of love. And it never goes away, this love a parent has for his or her child?" There was wonderment in his voice, as if an entirely new and unexpected world opened up for him. And, perhaps it did. He spent his entire life fearing what came after and trying to avoid it, that he forgot how to live. Like Rassilon, he forgot how to live, he forgot how to dream and … and breath caught in Rassilon's throat as the timeline smoothed out in front of him. Oh. Oh, of course, he should have seen that before! However, his agent was still waiting for an answer. And really, shouldn't he get that answer?

Rassilon observed, "For me, it has always been the truth. I long regarded the Time Lords who came after me as much children, but Jack was different. In so many ways, he was different. But that wasn't what you were asking. And in truth, my love for my son is as strong and as fierce as it was the day he was born, those brief moments when I held him. Perhaps even more so." He fell silent as he thought about the day his son was born, that tiny baby boy held securely in the arms of the Time Lord he trusted above all others. He thought about the tumultuous months leading up to that day and said slowly, "I never told anyone this, but there were many times when my son's embryonic intelligence sensed that I was troubled, and he would try to reassure me. Not even born, and I would sense that 'papa, all will be well' impression from him. Not even born, not fully Time Lord, and he still had that capacity. Can you imagine that? My son's capacity to love began surprising me long before his lung capacity did."

That surprised a laugh out of his agent, who mused, "I can't imagine loving anyone that much." Rassilon smiled sadly. No, he didn't imagine so. Part of that was his own fault, but … only part of it. The other man continued, "Perhaps one day, I'll learn what that means. To love someone as you love your son. I know by now that there is truly nothing you wouldn't do for him, and that it hurts you deeply when he's in pain." Yes. Yes, both of those points were true. And it wasn't simply his son being in pain that hurt him so badly. It was the knowledge that he couldn't interfere … that if he interfered and took away his child's hurt, then Jack would never become the amazing, wonderful man that he was. He could not interfere, he had to let the timelines play out, and he could only love his son from afar.

That was then. This was now. He searched the timelines to make sure that his intended actions wouldn't bring disaster upon their heads. He found none. To be sure, some events would take place that didn't occur in the earlier timelines, but that was actually a good thing. Humanity's destiny would come to pass, just as it was meant to. Aloud, he answered, "I hope you do learn that one day. I hope you learn what it is to love someone that deeply. Whether it's a child or a partner, man or woman, it matters not. All that matters, my dear boy, is that you love." There was a long silence as the other man digested that, and then Rassilon continued, "If you would, send Suzie to me when you see her. I have an assignment for her … no, you may continue to torment Olivia Colasanto. I wouldn't dream of taking that from you."

His agent gave a low laugh, answering, "And I thank you for that, my Lord. I will send Suzie to you as soon as I find her. Assuming she isn't giving Colasanto's grandson a blow-job." Rassilon frowned at him. Not only was that too much information, it was also crude. The other man said, rather unapologetically, "Well, it's true. And speaking of the Colasantos in general … you do realize that Olivia Colasanto wasn't the only guilty party in that particular mess, don't you?" Rassilon smiled coldly. Oh yes. Yes, he was fully cognizant of that fact.

"I do. As to the other … well. I'm giving her just enough rope to hang herself. And she _will_. Her kind always does," he answered and had the satisfaction of seeing the other man gulp. Rassilon actually patted his cheek, which made his agent's eyes narrow, and said, "Now, if you would please retrieve Suzie for me, I have an assignment for her. As soon as you've done that, you have my leave to return to the helicarrier. Speaking of which, how do you explain your comings and goings to Colonel Fury?" Now, his agent smiled, his dark eyes twinkling with amusement. This, no doubt, would be quite entertaining.

The other man answered, "Oh, it really isn't that hard. Colonel Fury doesn't know I'm there." Rassilon allowed his eyebrows to arch upward questioningly and his agent continued, "No one knows I'm there. No one has ever seen me, save Little Miss Olivia, just as no one ever saw you or Suzie on board the helicarrier. In my case, it's because I have a Vortex Manipulator, which I quite like. Colonel Fury doesn't know I'm there and no one believes Olivia when she tells them that she sees me. They adjust her pain meds, and don't understand why her pain doesn't decrease and why she still sees me."

Rassilon frowned, because common sense told him that was a dangerous weakness in the organization's security which his agent was exploiting. He thought of his old friend Odin, whose son Loki fell further than anyone dreamed possible … but he couldn't warn Odin. Nor could he warn Colonel Fury or his Council that they were dabbling in things that were far more dangerous than anyone imagined. By the same token, he couldn't warn Fury that some members of his Council didn't have the best intentions for this world at heart. This was another situation where he had to maintain his silence. As horrible as the coming events were, they were also necessary for humanity's development. He didn't like it, but many things happened that he didn't like or didn't approve of.

His agent was awaiting his response, and so, Rassilon told him, "Then be careful. Sooner or later, they will become suspicious when Olivia's hallucinations don't go away. I'm taking a terrible risk as it is, tying Olivia's life force to that of Anwen Williams." The other man nodded soberly, understanding what was being said … as well as what wasn't being said, and as they both well knew, sometimes those were the most important words of all. Rassilon continued, "After you've had your fun with dear Livvy, I have another assignment for you. The time is coming when I will need to meet with my son. It will need to be on his territory … and I will need you to scout out the best location for such a meeting."

"Why? Not, why do you need to meet with him … that's rather obvious … but why does it need to be on his territory? Surely he could take that as a threat and react accordingly?" his agent questioned. It was a fair point, and one that Rassilon considered many times since he became aware that it was time for him to meet with his son. The answer he had to offer may not have been the wisest, but it was the most truthful. And he swore to himself after the last bit of dishonesty that he would be as truthful as he could from that point forward.

"Because he is a protector … I am honoring him by going to him, rather than luring him to me. Do you understand, dear boy? I must go to him, to show that I honor and respect him. In days of old on this world, that was how it was done. Vassals went to their masters, lords went to their kings. I must go to my son," Rassilon answered. His agent's eyes narrowed and his mouth worked, lips pulling back from his teeth just a bit as he worked through that in his mind. When he reached the correct conclusion, he stared at Rassilon in shock.

"You … you're _humbling _yourself before him?" he asked and Rassilon inclined his head. There was another long silence as the other man struggled with himself not to react, to think first. Rassilon merely waited patiently, before his agent finally blurted out, "But why? You are a Time Lord, the first of the Time Lords, and while he's your son, he's still just a human, little more than an ape! Why would you humble yourself before a man who should be humbling himself to you?" And Rassilon smiled.

"Because, dear child," he answered gently, "With power comes responsibility, and I am still a very powerful being. Perhaps the most powerful and most dangerous being in the universe, even more so than before because now I seek to avenge hurts done to one whom I love. Even so, right now, I am but a visitor to this world. My home is lost to me, and this is not my world. Not yet. I do not recognize the governments of this world as being my superior. However, I do recognize my son's protection of Earth. And that? That is why I will humble myself to him by visiting him in his territory, and on his terms." His agent closed his mouth with a snap as he thought that through, and Rassilon added softly, "Besides. Right now, it's the only way I have to atone for not being there when he needed me most. Never mind that my interference would have destroyed the timelines, I wasn't there when my son needed me. And this is my penance. Do you understand now?"

"Not really," the other man acknowledged, "but then again, that doesn't really matter. I'll retrieve Suzie for you, as you requested, and then I will go to that little nothing of a town, my Lord." He made a small bow, before leaving the room, and Rassilon was left to his thoughts once more. _But that is where you are wrong, young one_, he thought as he stared at a small spot on the wall, thinking about the movies he'd seen. _One thing I learned from watching Mr. Tolkien's work is that even the most insignificant of creatures can change the world. And from what seems like a small, insignificant town, the world can be changed … or saved_.

TBC


	9. Chapter 8: At a Loss for Words

Author's Notes: Before I go any further, I wanted to mention the tornadoes that have swept through Oklahoma during the last few weeks. To those in the affected area … you're in my thoughts and prayers. In this chapter, Esther receives disturbing news from Carlyon; Toni's father makes his voice heard; while Tosh and Jack are reunited. After a fashion. Do you really expect anything else from Torchwood? I would hope not! I'd like to promise that the next chapter(s) will be up in a timely fashion, but I know better than to promise anything of the sort. Things have been exceptionally busy on this end, between work (my contract was extended and I had an interview for a full time job with them), dealing with some twit who hacked my email account, and getting a new laptop and getting things transferred over to the new machine. I'll just say that I'll do my best to make sure you won't have to wait for another two months for the next chapter, especially since we're heading into the home stretch. On with the story!

Chapter Eight

At a Loss for Words

Tregarth Homestead

Same Day

It took very little time to find her copy of '_Who Framed Roger Rabbit_?' while the boys washed up. After she was rescued and Jack made his decision to remain with Torchwood America, he and Rex returned to her apartment in DC to retrieve her belongings. Esther smiled a little sadly as she carried her DVD downstairs … she remembered how badly she wanted to kiss Jack for that. Instead, she settled for a fierce hug that nearly broke his ribs. Or so Rex groused as Jack returned the hug with embrace with interest. Octavia stepped on his foot for that.

Looking back now, Esther wasn't sure why she was so hesitant about kissing Jack … why it had taken him being beaten to death for her to make her move, or even why it took almost losing him for good (because if the Pharma had taken him, Esther was quite certain he would have ended up in the hands of the Families) to take things further. She was just grateful she finally stopped wasting time. Jack would live forever. She wouldn't. And if there was one thing that her 'death' and her time as a captive taught her … life was entirely too short to waste.

When she rejoined the boys at the bottom of the stairs, Esther was more than a little surprised when, instead of going into the den (where they usually had movie night, Rift permitting), she found herself escorted into that Holiest of Holies for the Tregarth men: their so-called 'man cave.' She bit back her observation that this was the first time a woman had been allowed into their private room and instead, focused on the room itself. Esther felt a bit like a teen-aged girl who'd been invited into the private tree-house or clubhouse of a pair of ten year olds.

However, the room was anything but that of a ten year old boy (or, at least the ten year olds she babysat as a teenager). There were old arcade games (which Lucas cheerfully informed her that Jack helped to carry down … which, of course, that Esther began thinking of Jack's muscles flexing under his t-shirt. Mrrow), a collection of John Deere memorabilia ('Lucas used to collect those when he was a kid. So obviously, he's still collecting them,' Jason told her, grinning impishly at the insults with which Lucas responded), and a replica of the tall ship, the 'Constitution.' It belonged to their late father, and Esther's throat ached with unshed tears. She offered the boys a smile before looking around more.

Not surprisingly, there was a microwave off to one side of the room, with an entire basket full of popcorn packets. Someone with forethought (probably Carlyon) ever so kindly put a large bowl on the other side of the microwave. Lucas turned a hopeful smile toward her, and Esther realized that she would be asked to make popcorn. That was fine. She already intended to do that. The last time Jason or Lucas made popcorn, it was burned. Badly. They thought it was fine, but the rest of the family didn't consider it fit for human consumption. Octavia face-palmed and moaned about where she went wrong. Of course, it was at that point that Rex decided to start an argument by bringing up her brother-in-law (again). Esther stepped on his foot at that point. Octavia did nothing wrong … she had no way of knowing that her brother-in-law was working for the Families, so she didn't keep the identity of her brother-in-law a secret.

Esther honestly wasn't sure what Rex was so upset about. Jack was the one who was hurt most out of their new team, and he wasn't angry or even upset with Octavia. For that matter, even his reprimand to Esther herself when they all were safe was actually pretty gentle. Maybe it would have been a different story if it was Octavia's husband who was the assassin, but he wasn't. He was a cop who died saving others. Honestly, she had far more sympathy for Octavia on this subject than she did for Rex. But that was between them, and they would either work it out or they didn't. It was between them. Esther handed the movie off to Jason as they reached the 'man-cave' (honestly, that was _such_ a silly name for a room), allowing him to set it up. She'd seen it nearly thirty times and could practically recite the lines herself.

Besides, she needed to focus on the popcorn. Maybe if Jason noticed that she checked the seconds between pops, he'd learn how to make it properly himself. Esther smirked to herself. Not real likely, as Jason's attention was likely to be on the movie, but it was a nice thought. A quick glance into the refrigerator that sat on the other side of the microwave revealed that yes, there was cold soda in there, not just cold beer. Thank God. She snagged three cans, lobbing two of them to her companions before returning her attention to the popping popcorn. There was soft swearing behind her and the distinct sound of spraying. Ooops. Someone didn't let the soda settle before opening it.

Jason snickered as his younger brother tore out of the room, "He knows better than that. At least you're down here, instead of upstairs in the bunkhouse with Jack." Esther glanced over her shoulder and smirked at her companion, who reddened. Esther didn't know why. She didn't say anything. Jason continued, "So, you and Nat … you're good now?" Good now … oh. _Oh_. So many things happened since this morning and Nat's blow-up at Jack, Esther lost track of what he was talking about. She had to stop and think about her answer. On the face of it, things were fine, because it was Jack whom Natalie hurt … and yet … and yet, she wasn't sure. While Nat didn't appreciate some of the comments made in the past, this time … it was different.

"I don't know. I may need to talk to her when this is all over. I just … technically, it isn't any of my business, but at the same time …" Esther finally answered. This was uncharted territory for her, in so many ways. She'd dated in the past, of course … had friends who didn't react too well to being in the same general area … but this was different. According to Owen, Nat wasn't entirely herself at the time … something else that made Esther uncomfortable. They were all as careful as possible with Rift raff (as Lucas had taken to calling it), but it wasn't Rift-raff that altered Natalie's personality (however briefly), that altered her brain waves. Maybe that was the real problem, Esther thought, there's no way to guard against what happened to Natalie. Esther said softly, "We need to talk, just the two of us, get things settled."

Jason nodded before returning his attention back to the DVD player. Esther was pleased to note the utter lack of burned popcorn as she pulled the bag from the microwave (to say nothing of the absence of the smell of burned popcorn). As Lucas returned, Jason's next question was with regards to Torchwood, observing, "If that earthquake this morning was Rift-related, which it probably was, what do you think came through?" Esther shrugged, careful to keep the actual motion to a minimum. The last thing she wanted to do was to be cleaning up the popcorn from the rug. That would be a mess and a half.

"It's hard to say. I'm still making my way through the old archives that Carlyon copied before he left Cardiff, all those years ago. My first instinct is to say that it was big … extremely big. Not quite as big as Abaddon, of course, but still big," Esther replied as she settled the bowl of popcorn down on the end table, right between the brothers' respective sets of feet. She hit each boy with a Glare, adding, "And don't even think about eating that until I get some bowls." The brothers responded with pouts and Esther retorted, "Don't try that with me, either. Your cousin is a hundred times better at it." She turned away with a swish of her hair as the brothers looked at each in chagrin, smiling to herself as she heard Lucas muttering under his breath about her spoiling all of his fun. Honestly. They were just overgrown little kids. On her way back to the stand with the microwave, she added, "Which reminds me. Speaking of Abaddon, how did that go with you two?"

She meant, of course, a briefing that Owen conducted about why opening the Rift was a Bad Thing. It was something they did while Jack was in Nevada with Sophia, Natalie and Ailsa. There were actually several, because everyone's schedule was different … not unlike their physicals. Jason answered a bit reluctantly, "Ours was delayed until everyone came back and Mom and Dree left for Scotland. It went a bit as you'd expect … Jack tried to call it on account of darkness a few times, but Owen reminded him that people died when the Rift was open and Abaddon was released." Esther flinched at the reminder. Her briefing went differently. She already learned that it was far wiser to listen to Jack than to ignore what he was telling you. Of course, Jack wasn't there at her briefing. That probably made a difference as well.

"Yeah, and the movie's starting, so put a cork in it, goof-ball. Ah, Esther, you goddess among women. If I didn't like my working parts where they were, I might be tempted to make a move on you," Lucas said as she handed out the bowls. She thought briefly about pointing out that Jack would likely invite him to join in, but opted not to. Both boys got a bit antsy when she (or Jack) said things like that. She took her place between the two boys and began to lose herself in the movie, which she found (much to her delight) amused her as much now as it did when she was a little girl. So, of course, it couldn't last.

Her cell began to ring insistently and the ringtone informed her that it was Carlyon on the other end of the line. Esther grimaced a little, because this was a caller she wouldn't dream of ignoring. She rose to her feet and headed away from the TV, so she didn't disturb the boys, saying softly into the receiver, "What can I do for you, Carlyon?" He'd gone with his wife, Jack, Nat, and Sheriff Espinosa, and she wasn't anticipating hearing from any of them for a while.

There was a quiet sigh on the other end of the line, but it wasn't until Carlyon said in an impossibly gentle voice, "Esther, my dear, you should sit down … there's something you must know, and something that will be hard for you to hear." Esther swallowed hard and slowly lowered herself, sliding down the wall until she was sitting on the floor. She learned the hard way that when Carlyon Tregarth told her that she should sit down, he meant it. That lesson was true once more as he imparted what he discovered at the scene of the accident.

TWTWTWTWTTWTW

He grew up loving movies. When he was a boy, Dupres was a lot smaller than it was now. In fact, one of the few attractions in town was a drive-in theatre that his parents would take him to once a week. There was a time when he briefly entertained the idea of being an actor, but life didn't quite work out that way. But as the years went by, his love for movies didn't lessen. Most of the time, if they had the money now, they would go to the cinema in town … the drive-in theatre was closed years earlier. That closure nearly broke his heart, but he had to admit that it was long past time … by the time it closed, it was running X-rated movies. Talk about ruining his childhood!

In more recent years, one of Gideon Weber's favorite movies was _The Mummy Returns_. Not just because Rachel Weisz and Patricia Velazquez were lookers (although they were … especially Velazquez. Damn, that woman was gorgeous), but because of a particular scene near the end of the movie when Rick O'Connell told his little boy that it wasn't easy to be a dad (actually, he didn't really say the words … more like, wheezed them out). Gideon laughed aloud at that the first time they watched it, much to his wife's amusement (and he didn't care what she said … he might have watched it for Anck-su-namun and Evy, but she watched it for Ardeth). O'Connell was right … being a dad, being a parent, wasn't easy at all, Gideon found while he and his wife were raising their daughter. And some days, it was less easy than others.

Ordinarily, Toni … or Antoinette, as her mother preferred to call her … was generally a gentle, soft-spoken girl: honest and hard-working in school. She was more Gideon's daughter in that respect than Sabine's … her good grades were the result of hard work, rather than any great intelligence. And up until she drifted into the sphere of those two girls, Tegan and Annis, the elder Webers never had major issues with her. Oh, she misbehaved sometimes, as children do, but there was never anything big. That all changed a few months earlier, when the aforementioned girls disappeared.

More to the point, Toni herself changed. She became quieter, more withdrawn, and only during or after her visits with the sheriff did she show signs of the girl she was. Unfortunately, Sabine didn't help with her dismissal of Toni's growing feelings for Nicky. While Gideon well knew that a teenager's feelings changed often, he also knew that sometimes, childhood (or high school) sweethearts could become lovers and even spouses; so dismissing their daughter's emotions would only lead to her shutting them out even more.

That only got worse in the last few days. Something was wrong with his little girl, and Gideon had no idea of what that something was. But his instincts told him that either he was about to find out … or get more bad news … when the sheriff's Cherokee pulled up in front of the Weber split-level ranch home and two members of the Tregarth family spilled out of the Jeep, along with the sheriff herself and someone Gideon never met before. He honestly didn't have an opinion about the Tregarth family. They seemed like decent enough people, and he certainly couldn't deny what they did for the community as a whole during the mess with the kids and later with the Miracle. They were a bit on the strange side, but aside from that, they were decent. Even so, it was more than a little disconcerting to have Sheriff Espinosa pulling into his driveway with the Tregarths in tow.

So was a tall, dark-haired man whom even the one-hundred-fifty percent straight Gideon had to admit was quite handsome. This, no doubt, was the Captain Jack Harkness who made such an impact at the Christmas dance a few months earlier. They were in the way Gideon heard it, Will Delacourt was just about turning purple when Captain Harkness danced with Will's former lady friend, Priscilla Tregarth. Not that Gideon had much use for Will under any circumstances … but after hearing the story behind his break-up with Priscilla Tregarth, he regarded the other man as even more useless. Gideon returned his attention to the small group getting out of the car. So, it was Sheriff Espinosa, Captain Harkness, along with two Tregarth females. Curiouser and curiouser. That, of course, was when he noticed that one Tregarth was Natalie … not exactly what he would have expected, although even as a teenager, Nat was capable of surprising him. She and Pilar … Lari … were a few years behind him in high school, as was Quinn. Neither girl was part of his circle, as such, but he was aware of them. Of course he was. Dupres was a small town, after all.

He was aware enough not to be surprised when Pilar left town to join the Marines … aware enough not to be surprised when Natalie turned out to be far more dangerous than anyone could have guessed. Whether it was protecting her daughter during Miracle Day or avenging her oldest sister Priscilla (Gideon nearly laughed himself into a coma when he heard what Natalie did to that idiot Will. She must have learned that trick from Quinn), it didn't matter. What mattered right now was why she, her parents (he could see Carlyon Tregarth in the front seat, on the phone), Captain Harkness, and Pilar were here. The dark-haired sheriff nodded to him, saying, "Hi, Gideon. Is Toni available to talk to us?" Oh hell. He was afraid she would ask him that.

However, he inclined his head, answering, "She is. Can I ask what this is about?" Gideon watched the posture of his visitors very carefully, trying to learn as much as he could from what was unsaid. Natalie, as ever, fidgeted when she was uncomfortable. Oh, it wasn't the same way his daughter fidgeted …. with Natalie, it was changing her position. First her hands were on her hips, then they were folded over her chest … first most of her weight settled on one leg, and then the other. He might not have known her as well as Quinn did … but he did know that about her.

Her mother Sophia was serene … running her hand up and down her daughter's back ever so often, trying to soothe the younger woman's nerves. Sophia Tregarth was Natalie's mother. Even now, months after that particular revelation, Gideon had a hard time wrapping his mind around it. He could only imagine how Natalie must have taken it. Her grandmother was actually her mother and she looked like she was about the same age as Natalie. On the other hand, it couldn't be easy for Octavia or Priscilla to see this young woman as their mother.

Sheriff Espinosa was no different than the times she picked up Toni for what she called their rounds together: relaxed and alert, her expression a pleasant mask. It occurred to him that out of them all, he knew her the best, and he barely knew her. Nice, he thought, real nice. He'd told Toni about having good neighbors, but he hadn't been a good neighbor since they moved here. Maybe it was time to change that. Lord knew that enough things were changing around here. And that brought him to the final member of the group … Captain Jack Harkness.

He knew from Charles Havelock, an occasional drinking buddy, that Captain Harkness was a lot more dangerous than his demeanor would have you believe. Looking at the man now, he could believe that. His expression was playful, mischievous, even flirtatious … but if you looked at the way he carried himself, if you looked into his eyes, then you'd see just how stupid it would be to underestimate this man. Gideon had his share of faults, but stupidity didn't top that list. Even before the sheriff answered his question, Gideon knew what his own answer had to be. But when Sheriff Espinosa told him, "We think that some bad types are trying to use Toni. Gideon. You know she's an unusual girl, you know that she knows things that a girl her age shouldn't know," any objections Gideon might have had were wiped away.

Because she was right. His baby girl was unusual, she was special. He'd known about that for months, but hoped that he was wrong. He'd hoped that … well, it wasn't important what he'd hoped. He had to focus on what the truth was. Which was why he said now, "I know. And yes. Yes, you can talk to Toni. C'mon in." He paused, noticing that Carlyon was still inside the Cherokee and asked, "What about Mr. Tregarth? Will he be joining us?" He was still inside the Jeep and he was still on the phone. A look passed between the three people who weren't the sheriff and Gideon had the sudden sense that he'd dropped into the Twilight Zone.

"My father is … handling a particularly sensitive call. He'll join us when he's able, Gid," Natalie responded, speaking for the first time since the beginning of the conversation. Curiously, that put him at ease, hearing that old nickname. He gestured for them to follow him inside the house. Gideon thought briefly about what he would tell Sabine, who continued to insist that her dalliance with those two girls hadn't changed Toni, but decided to worry about that later. Right now, his little girl's well-being was the most important thing.

TWTWTWTWTW

"He's here."

Well, that was a _bit_ on the dramatic side. Or, it would have been if Toshiko tended toward melodrama. Instead, it was matter of fact, with only the tiniest hitch in Tosh's voice. Toni looked up from the book she was reading, and her own heart almost stopped at the look on her unexpected friend's face. Tosh smiled, a smile that lit up her whole face and had all of her heart in it, repeating, "He's here. Jack's here. I don't know how I know it, but he's here." Toni bit her lip, because things were moving far faster than she was now comfortable with.

It was about to get worse. Her father called, "Antoinette … we have guests." Tosh offered her a gentle, supportive smile, and Toni barely managed to smile in return. She opened the door of her room, feeling as if she was going to her own execution. The girl was only slightly reassured by her father's expression. He didn't look angry … more like worried. That was bad enough. He'd been so worried about her since the mess with Tegan and Annis, and disappointment went hand-in-hand with worry. She'd never wanted to see that look in her father's eyes again. Toni was used to disappointing her mother … disappointing her father hurt far more.

And then she saw Sheriff Pilar just beyond her father. The sheriff smiled at her warmly, saying, "Hi, Toni. We need to talk to you about what you told Nicky." Toni stole a glance at her father. His expression hadn't changed at all. That was … well. She didn't know what to think about that. Sheriff Pilar continued, "You know the Tregarth ladies: Sophia and Natalie." The teen nodded respectfully to the two women. This was the first time she'd ever actually seen Sophia Tregarth. Oh, she heard about her in town, especially after her granddaughter Ailsa was kidnapped, but that was the funny thing. She didn't look like any grandmother Toni'd ever seen.

And Miss Natalie … well, she was Miss Natalie. She was always kind to Toni when they encountered each other in town, although sometimes distracted by trying to keep up with her little girl Ailsa. Thus, it was the tall, dark-haired man just past Sheriff Pilar who captured and held Toni's attention. While he wasn't Nicky, he was still the most handsome man she'd ever seen. And Toni'd never thought that she'd apply this term to any man, but she would even venture to say that he was beautiful. To her right, she heard Tosh said, sounding more than a little smug, "That is Jack."

At the same time, Sheriff Pilar observed, "And this gentleman is Captain Jack Harkness, an associate of theirs. Captain, this is Antoinette Weber, or Toni, as she prefers to be called." A warm smile lit his handsome face, and Toni found herself blushing as she shook the proffered hand … which absolutely engulfed her own. Sheriff Pilar added, "And don't complain, Jack, I was calling you a gentleman out of respect." That prompted a laugh from both Mrs. and Miss Tregarth, and the captain's smile broadened further. Toni could hear Tosh laughing softly from beside her. So, of course, that was when she made a world-class idiot out of herself.

With Tosh's laughter ringing in her ears, she blurted out, "Tosh didn't mention how handsome you were." Actually, she probably did, but Toni wasn't paying attention at the time. And her words wiped that smile immediately from the captain's face. She shuddered, feeling the change in the room. It was as if everything was sucked from the room … warmth, air, everything. And the worst part was the captain's expression. There was actually hurt in those amazing blue eyes. Toni didn't need Tosh's indignant cursing to tell her that she just screwed up badly.

Captain Harkness said in a very quiet, terrifyingly even voice, "How do you know about Toshiko? Did you know her before she was killed?" Toni had the distinct impression that if Tosh had a corporeal body, she would have been face-palming right about then. The captain swallowed hard, closed his eyes, and then when he opened them, his entire focus was on her. It occurred to Toni that whoever came up with Ms. Ramsey's screensaver, 'the last thing you want is my complete and undivided attention' must have known Captain Harkness. He said in a very gentle voice, "I'm not angry, Toni. I know I must have frightened you just now, but I'm not angry with you. I just need to know how you even knew Tosh."

Toni licked her lips and Tosh said softly, "We need to be very careful from here on out, Toni. Tell him the truth. Don't try to lie to him, he'll know it, and you'll only upset him further. Don't apologize, either. He's not interested in how sorry you are. Just tell him what's happened. And when you're done, I'll tell you something to tell him, something that'll convince him that I'm really here. Do **not** deviate in _any_ way from what I tell you … this is very important, Toni. Promise me that you'll do _exactly_ what I tell you to do."

It really made Toni nervous when Tosh talked like that, but she inclined her head. Raising her eyes to meet the captain's, she did exactly what Tosh advised her to do. She told him everything, keeping her eyes on his at all times. She told him about what happened the night Tegan and Annis disappeared … and about the earthquake this morning … about the Gelfth (something that made him pale and his eyes narrow, but he didn't interrupt) … and finally about Tosh. His lips pursed at that, and Toni remembered what Tosh told her. But it was only at the end that Toni balked. As Captain Harkness turned to look at Mrs. Tregarth, who put her hand on his forearm, Toni blurted out (again), "You wanted me to say what? Tosh, that doesn't even make any sense!" She was painfully aware of how everyone was looking at her (everyone, in this case, meaning her father), but wouldn't take the words back, even if she could have.

"Do it! It's the only way he'll believe you! Toni, please … you've trusted me this far. I need you to keep trusting me. Say it," Tosh all but begged. For a brief moment, Toni thought of a movie she watched when she was twelve or so, a movie with that man who died around the same time as Michael Jackson, Patrick something or other. (It would take several hours, but eventually, she would remember what it was called … appropriately enough, it was titled, '_Ghost_'). It had Whoopi Goldberg in it, and during a key scene, she demanded to know what 'ditto' meant. That was how Toni felt right now. But she had the sense that Captain Harkness was turning away from her, and that her time was running out for him to believe them.

Thus, she said, "Don't ask me to explain what she means by this, but she said to tell you, _'baby, you're good_.' And something about not being afraid of danger." Captain Harkness literally froze in place. But now, rather than forbidding, his expression was almost hopeful. Afraid and hopeful at the same time. It wasn't quite the same as his expression a few minutes earlier, but it was enough of a thawing to make her relax, just a little bit.

Tosh whispered new directions to her, and growing more confident with the change in the captain's demeanor, Toni went on, "She wants you to know that you aren't responsible for her death, and while she wasn't happy to die, at least she was lucky enough to die in the arms of someone whom she loved and who loved her. She also said to tell you that if she even thinks you blame yourself for her death, she'll figure out a way to make herself and kick your arse clear into the next decade. Sorry, Daddy. But that's what she said, and she said that you know if anyone could figure out a way to do it, Captain, it would be her."

A wild laugh seemed to be torn from the captain's throat as he replied, "She would, too. She … she's here, then? With you?" Toni nodded, now breathing a little easier. There was still the matter of her parents, but for some reason, the girl wasn't especially worried. She'd trusted Tosh this far, and the ghost promised her that she wouldn't abandon Toni. The Captain went on, looking around, "Where is she? I'm not stepping on her, am I?" He sounded so young in that moment, younger than Toni, and so very earnest, that she wanted to laugh. But she didn't. Her rational mind was telling her that there was no way it should be this easy, but the strongest part of her didn't care. She wasn't alone anymore, and that was all that mattered.

"She's … well, she's right in front of you. Right now, she's reaching up, like she would touch your cheek if she could. She's … she's smiling, and she has tears in her eyes. I'm sorry, that didn't come out right. She was smiling when she moved toward you, and she had tears in her eyes then. She's probably still close to crying. I … while we were waiting, she told me about you and about Owen," Toni replied. The captain closed his eyes briefly, and a tear rolled down his cheek. Once again, Tosh tried to brush it away … once again, she failed, and her frustration could be seen in her face.

When the captain opened his eyes once again, there was no grief, no sadness … only determination. He looked first at Toni, and then at her father, and then finally at the Sheriff. He said in a voice that informed everyone present that this would happen, and he wasn't entirely picky about how they _made_ it happen, "Toni is coming back with us to the homestead. Mr. Weber. You're more than welcome to join us … in fact, I think Toni would be more comfortable if you did. But she's been spending time with Toshiko since the Gelfth's arrival awoke Tosh. We'll need her help if we want to deal with them."

"My daughter is going nowhere without me," Toni's father responded, putting a protective arm around her shoulders, something that made the girl straighten up, ever so slightly. There was a pause, and then he continued, sounding about as bewildered as Toni was still feeling, "And just who in the Hell are you people? You talk about these things, these Gelfth, as though they're aliens or something. Who are you?" A smile quirked the corners of the captain's mouth, and it was all Toni could do to keep from laughing when he and Tosh said the exact same thing at the exact same moment.

"We're Torchwood."

TBC


End file.
